Ladies, sometimes you just want lighter dinner fare, right? This is difficult when there's a man to feed because they want hearty. Or maybe sometimes you want a light meal but WITH a little hearty. This brings together the best of both worlds combining salad greens with some meat and potatoes. Putting it all together offers you a meal full of protein, iron, iodine and folate. You get your entrée salad, he gets enough food to be full. This may look like a lot of moving parts but once you get going, in the right order, you have it ready in no time!
I've made this with regular potatoes and tomatoes (first picture) and again this week changing it up adding avocado and the purple Peruvian potatoes. I used to work with a caterer who used Peruvian potatoes as part of a passed canape recipe and I always thought they were fun. With the Olympics going on, I decided to tap into all things South America with the Brazilian meat and Peruvian potatoes! Max enjoyed himself an Argentinian Malbec while I enjoyed delicious, clean and filtered water - unlike in Rio right now.
Version with Peruvian potatoes and avocado
Special note: This recipe does require the use of a grill and a small food processor to help you plan accordingly.
Grocery List:
Yields 3-4 servings
For Flank Steak
- 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup Tamari or Soy Sauce
- 3 tbsp. honey
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb. flank steak, trimmed of fat
For Chimichurri
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
- 1 cup fresh parsley
- a hearty sprinkle of red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup olive oil
For Salad
- Heirloom Red and/or Green Leaf Lettuce, rinsed, chopped (sometimes I do a mix of the two, top picture is with green leaf, second picture is with red leaf)
- 1 cup fingerling potatoes, chopped (the purple ones are Peruvian if you want a fun change up on your plate)
- Red onion, sliced
- Cucumber, peeled and chopped (I like to de-seed mine too)
- Avocado, cubed
- Cherry tomatoes, halved (optional)
Every time I make this, I plan to mix up the marinade and let the scored steak bathe in it overnight. However, I have yet to accomplish that. The longest I've been able to allow it to marinate before needing to start cooking is 1 hour, this last time I made it, it was 30 minutes. All of that to say - you can marinate it for 24 hours, or 30 minutes, whatever fits your cook time. If it's on the shorter end, no worries, you will still have a flavorful steak.
1. Start by scoring the steak with a paring knife. For those that are not familiar with scoring meat, instead of me describing it to you, I found this video for you! I am a visual learner so I thought others would appreciate this instead.
2. Mix the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl. Put steak and marinade in a ziploc bag and allow it to soak up the flavors for as long as you are able to allow.
3. Within 30 minutes of putting the steak on the grill, go ahead and begin the rest of the cooking process. Start by heating your grill to 400 degrees. Once heated, you will cook it for 7 minutes and then flip to the other side to cook for another 5 minutes. Once the steak is done, cut it against the grain with a serrated knife (best cut for a flank steak). Again for the visual learners, here you go!
4. Next, pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. While it is heating, cut your potatoes into bite sized chunks. Toss in olive oil and then sprinkle with salt and garlic granules. Bake for 15 minutes or until slightly browned on cut surface and easily pierced by a fork. If you decide you want to do cherry tomatoes, I roast those in the oven with the potatoes to blister them a bit. Potatoes on one side of pan, tomatoes on the other.
5. In a small food processor, add all of the ingredients for the chimichurri and then pulse until smooth. Set aside until time to serve.
For the most even salad ingredient distribution, plate a heap of lettuce first, followed by the potatoes, red onion, cucumber, avocado, tomatoes (if you use them), then strips of steak. As a finishing touch, spoon the chimichurri over all this goodness and enjoy!
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