Whole30 Sirloin Steak with Caramelized Onions and Sweet Potato Butternut Squash Puree

1 small-medium* butternut squash, halved and seeded
1 large sweet potato
Olive oil
2 tablespoons ghee
1 large onion, sliced into strips (sweet onion is best)
2 servings of sirloin steak (our serving sizes are 4-5oz in our house)
salt and pepper

Instructions:

Sweet Potato + Squash Puree
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wrap sweet potato in foil. Place the split halves of squash face up on a baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and break up bits of the ghee over the squash halves. Put the sweet potato right on the rack, and squash on the baking sheet in oven and bake at 400 degrees for about an hour, or until the flesh is easily pierced with a fork. Scrape the inside of the squash into the bowl of a food processor/blender, peel sweet potato and cut into a few smaller chunks, and pulse until it is a smooth consistency.

*Note: I recommend getting a nice large butternut squash and baking two sweet potatoes, making more than you need for this recipe. Then you can use the leftovers for other meals or soups.

You can make the puree ahead of time, if you like. It can refrigerate for a couple days, or freeze it in portions. Warm in a saucepan over medium heat before serving.

Caramelized Onions
Add 2 tbsp of olive oil and the onions to a large saute pan. Toss the onions to coat with oil. Cook the onions over medium-low heat for about an hour, stirring every 15 minutes or so to allow the onions to brown, but not burn. You can add ghee and some salt to this as well if you like.  For another layer of flavors, add some balsamic vinegar to the onions in the last 5 minute of cooking. Remove onions from heat when they are dark brown and sweet. Reserve any sauce to pour over steak!

Sirloin Steak (Alton Brown Method)
Prep the sirloin by setting on the counter at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. Coat all sides generously with kosher salt and let sit another 5 minutes. Rinse off salt with cold tap water.

Once you take the sweet potato and squash out of the oven, while the onions are finishing caramelizing, continue to prepare the sirloin. Set oven on broiler setting. Make foil 'snake' out of aluminum foil to use to keep oven door slightly ajar so that broiler won't turn off if it gets too hot.

Brush steak with oil and salt and pepper, to taste. Place a piece of foil on the bottom rack as a drip pan. Place another rack in the position above this and put the steak directly on this rack. Cook steak in this position for 5 minutes.  Flip steak and cook for another 5 minutes. Move rack with steak to top position in oven, keeping rack with foil and drippings just underneath, and cook for 3 minutes. Flip 1 last time and cook for another 3 minutes. Transfer steak to wire rack and rest for 3 to 5 minutes. (These times are for medium doneness. Adjust cooking times up or down as desired.)

Once rested, cut steak against the grain in 1/4"-1/2" slices.

Plating
Scoop a generous mound of sweet potato-butternut squash puree in a line down the center of the plate. Lay sliced steak on top of puree, and top all with a mound of caramelized onions and any pan drippings. Tucking some celery leaf or basil leaf into the end of the golden puree tops this plate off colorfully and beautifully.