Goat Cheese Stuffed Filet Mignon with Balsamic Reduction Sauce

Our mom didn't cook very much red meat when we were kids, so there's a very soft spot in my heart for a good steak. I especially love steak when it is stuffed with cheese, wrapped in bacon, and drizzled with a sweet balsamic reduction.

Get ready, internet. You may not want to eat steak any other way after this...

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups balsamic vinegar
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 (5 to 6-ounce) bacon-wrapped filet mignon steaks (You can buy them already wrapped at many stores, like Winco, or you can wrap them yourself.)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 ounces soft fresh goat cheese

Directions

1.  Preheat your broiler.
2. Boil the balsamic vinegar and sugar in a heavy small saucepan over medium-high heat until it has reduced to about 1/3 cup, stirring occasionally. This should take about 18 minutes.
3. While your sauce is reducing, melt the butter in a heavy large non-reactive oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. 
4.  Before wrapping steaks with bacon, (Or pull the bacon away if your steaks came with bacon!), make a small slit in the side of each steak, and stuff each one with about a tablespoon of cheese. make your you stuff it as far inside as you can, to avoid it melting out. Replace bacon slices.
5. Sprinkle the steaks with salt and pepper. 
6. Sear steaks in skillet with butter 1-2 minutes per side.
7. Transfer skillet to oven and cook the steaks to desired doneness, about 3 minutes per side for medium-rare, or when your meat thermometer reads about 130-135 degrees (If you don't have a meat thermometer, get one!! It will seriously become your best friend.).
8. Crumble a little more cheese over the steaks and broil just until the cheese melts, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with pepper.

Transfer the steaks to plates. Drizzle the balsamic sauce around the steaks and serve.

(I like to serve them over my Garlic Rosemary mashed potatoes, with Balsamic Roasted Asparagus.)