Sometimes we fall into a dinner rut. Mondays are for chicken, Tuesday is fish, Wednesday features leftover chicken, Thursday is meatless because no one went to the store. Do you ever feel that way? When you get to that place it can be as boring to eat dinner as it is to make it. I’m trying to shake it up a little and we did that this week with a delicious Steak and Salad Dinner. Flank steak is a great cut of meat. It soaks up marinade for delicious flavor and takes just a few minutes on the grill or under the broiler to cook. Sliced into thin strips and served with a crisp salad makes dinner anything but boring. Changing up our usual marinade created a juicy flavorful steak. That happened because there was a bottle of A-1 Steak Sauce acquired for some other recipe taking up room in the cabinet. Why not combine that with a few tasty additions like ginger and brown sugar – perfect! The salad was crispy romaine combined with -get this – thinly sliced brussels sprouts adding great texture and crunch. In a throw-back to the best salad in the world, the Sunset Caesar from Sunset Grill, sundried tomatoes were a delicious addition. They are easy to find in any grocery, but with a half full container of cherry tomatoes sitting on the counter it made sense to oven dry them into delicious little bites. All that was left was the salad dressing. This one is a favorite “sort of Caesar” made with canola-based mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice, parmesan cheese, anchovy paste, and Worcestershire sauce – a quick riff on the classic. Mix it in a bowl and toss in the lettuce. Dressing can be made way ahead of dinner meaning you grill the steak and let it rest while you chop and add the lettuce and anything else you choose. To serve – grind a little pepper over the top with lots of flair so it feels fancy and there you go. You have shaken up the dinner rut plus with a little luck you have leftover steak for tacos later in the week. Nothing boring here! Enjoy!
Ingredients
1 lb flank steak
¼ cup A-1 Steak Sauce
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp grated ginger (can use dried powdered)
Dressing
3 Tbsp mayonnaise (Hellman’s Canola is a favorite)
2 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese – plus extra for topping
Juice of ½ lemon
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp anchovy paste (or 1 jarred anchovy – more to taste)
1 garlic clove, finely minced
Salad
2 heads chopped Romaine lettuce OR substitute 1 head of lettuce for shredded brussels sprouts
Optional: Sundried tomatoes (directions for oven dried in blog) thin sliced sweet onions, black olives, croutons
Directions
Mix marinade in a large re-sealable plastic bag.
Add steak and marinate in the refrigerator ½ hour and up to 3 hours.
In a large salad bowl mix dressing ingredients.
To serve: grill or broil steak to desired doneness – about 5 minutes per side.
Toss salad ingredients with dressing.
Slice steak into thin slices and serve with salad adding extra cheese and fresh ground pepper if desired.
