The Knife For Life Blog

I don’t prepare red meat dishes as much as I do chicken or fish but when I do…I like to make it special for our once in a while rendezvous. As I was flipping through my trusty “Everyday Food: Great Fast Food”,the flank steak recipe caught my attention. The perfect medium rare steak was staring me in the face making my mouth water. I guess there’s no need to flip through the book anymore, my decision was made.

The steak was such an easy prep. Mix a few spices together and voilà! Ready to go on the grill. I think what took the most time was the potato salad that they had to accompany the steak (which is also very delicious, recipe to follow). So without further ado, let’s get out hands dirty and some kitchen utensils as well and let’s get cooking!

Skirt Steak with Spicy Green Salsa
by Martha Stewart from Everyday Food: Great Fast Food

Tools needed:
- 12 inch silicone coated locking tong

Ingredients:
- 5 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- course salt and fresh ground pepper
- 1 1/2 pounds skirt steak
- 2 teaspoons of olive oil, plus more for grates

Preparation:

1. In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, cumin, oregano, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Sprinkle the mixture over the steak; drizzle with oil. Let stand, turning to coat evenly with the oil halfway through, for 10 minutes.

2. Heat a grill to high, lightly oil the grates. Place the steak on the grill (fold thin end over so steak is an even thickness); cover. Cook turning once, until the meat has reached desired doneness. I prefer medium rare which takes about 4-6 minutes.

Spicy Green Salsa

Tools needed:
- 8 inch Chef’s knife

Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
- 1 tablespoon minced pickled jalapeño chiles
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon red-wine vinegar
- 1/8 teaspoon course salt

Preparation:
Combine all ingredients with 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl. The salsa can be refrigerated for 3-4 days; cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly on the surface to prevent discoloration. Makes 1/3 cup

Potato Salad with Sour Cream and Scallions (and BACON!!!)

Tools needed:
- large pot
- 8 inch Chef’s knife
- 4 inch Paring knife

Ingredients:

- 2 pounds white new potatoes, quartered and cut into 3/4 inch chunks
- course salt and fresh ground pepper
- 3/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
- 1/4 cup light mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions, plus more for garnish
- 4 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled*

Preparation:

1. In a large pot, cover the potatoes with salted water. ring to a boil; reduce the heat. Simmer until the potatoes are tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp paring knife, 12-15 minutes. Drain well.

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, wish together the sour cream and mayonnaise; add the warm potatoes, and gently fold to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Cover; refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 1 day. To serve, season the salad again with salt and pepper; fold in scallions. Garnish with the bacon* and more scallions, if desired. Serves 4

*I think the bacon is totally necessary and not optional. It totally makes the potato salad. ADD IT IN… I think a few more pieces of bacon wouldn’t hurt either if you ask my opinion, which I know you didn’t but you kinda did since you’re on this website. Enjoy!!!

Tags: bacon, beef, Flank steak, potato salad

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 25th, 2010 at 9:43 am and is filed under Entrees. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.