Nevada Baked Steak

A straightforward marinated steak, but the original leaves out both the oven temperature and any doneness cue, so those are the two things to settle before you start.

• Oven temperatureNone is given, and the recipe uses no oven term at all. 350F is a reasonable working choice for a sauced steak. If you want a browner surface, sear the steak in a hot pan first rather than raising the oven heat, which will scorch the catsup in the sauce.
• One hour is a long timeA 2-inch porterhouse held an hour at 350F will finish well past medium. Pull it at an internal 130-135F for medium-rare, which on a steak this thick is likely to happen closer to the 35-45 minute mark, and add the mushrooms earlier accordingly.
• Marinating timeTwo to three hours at room temperature is not advisable for raw beef. Marinate covered in the refrigerator and let the steak sit out 30-45 minutes before baking so it is not fridge-cold in the middle.
• CatsupSweetness and body vary a good deal by brand, then and now. If your ketchup is very sweet it will caramelize hard in an hour's baking; a plain tomato-forward brand behaves better here.
• "1 can mushrooms"No size is given; canned mushrooms came in several, so anything from a small 4 oz can to a 6-8 oz can drained will suit. Roughly 6-8 oz of sliced fresh mushrooms is a reasonable substitute, though they release liquid and will thin the sauce.
• Lemon and paprikaUse thin slices with the peel on, laid flat so they toast rather than steam, and remove them before serving if the pith has gone bitter. The recipe says only "paprika"; plain sweet paprika rather than hot or smoked is the safer reading.
• VesselBake in a shallow dish or pan just larger than the steak. In anything roomier the small quantity of sauce spreads thin and burns off before the meat is done.
• YieldA 2-inch porterhouse runs 2 to 3 lb bone-in and serves two generously or three modestly. Rest it 10 minutes, then carve the strip and tenderloin off the bone and slice across the grain.