Definition of "sauté"

sauté

/ˈsəʊteɪ/

verb
third-person singular simple present sautés, present participle sautéing, simple past and past participle sautéed or sautéd
1. (transitive) To cook (food) using a small amount of fat in an open pan over a relatively high heat, allowing the food to brown and form a crust stopping it from sticking to the pan as it cooks.
  Quotations
  Parboil three-fourths cup carrot, cut in strips, fifteen minutes; drain, and sauté in one tablespoon bacon fat to which has been added one tablespoon finely chopped onion. […] Cook until potatoes are soft, then add twelve small onions cooked until soft, then drained and sautéd in two tablespoons butter to which is added one tablespoon sugar. Onions need not be sautéd unless they are desired glazed. Serve from casserole dish.
  1906, Fannie Merritt Farmer, “Lamb and Mutton”, in The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book, section “Lamb en Casserole”, page 220
noun
plural sautés
1. A dish prepared this way.