And I believe this may call for a proper introduction, and well Don't you see, I'm the narrator, and this is just the prologue?...

Steak and potatoes, a classic summer grilling combination. There are a few variations to the recipes I have posted today. First I placed a dry spice rub on a flat iron steak, grilled it, and then once I removed the meat from the heat I doused it in a marinade. I have read of this method before, but this was the first time I put it into play. The warm meat soaked up all the delicious sauce, which led way for a moist delicious cut. As for the potatoes, I made grilled sweet potato fries with a vibrant cherry salsa to top them. The fries were seasoned with lime, cumin, and pepper flakes (these flavors paired beautifully with the sweetness from the potatoes). The cherry salsa has a bite from fresh grated ginger, and the final element is roughly chopped pecans. These are simple variations that will turn your average steak and potato meal into something out of the ordinary.

Grilled Flat Iron Steak

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

2 scallions, sliced thin

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons sugar

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper

1/4 cup vegetable oil

flat iron steak (2-3 lb)

Combine soy sauce, Worcestershire, scallions, 2 tablespoons sugar, garlic, mustard, vinegar, and 1½ teaspoons pepper in bowl. Slowly whisk in oil until incorporated and sugar has dissolved. Pat steak dry with paper towels and sprinkle all over with remaining 2 teaspoons sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper.

For a gas grill: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave all burners on high.

Clean and oil cooking grate. Grill steak until well browned and meat registers 125 degrees for medium-rare, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer steaks to 13 by 9-inch pan and poke all over with fork. Pour marinade over steak, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 minutes. Transfer meat to carving board and slice thinly against grain. Pour marinade into serving vessel. Serve, passing marinade at table.

grilled sweet potatoes with cherry salsa 

notes: You kind of have to par-boil or par-steam the sweet potatoes before grilling. It’s only, 5 minutes of stove steaminess though. 

for the sweet potatoes:

3 small-medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into wedges or rounds

1 1/2 tablespoon grapeseed or olive oil

zest and juice of 1 lime

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground chipotle powder (or to taste)

pinch of chili flakes

salt and pepper

for the cherry salsa:

heaped cup of de-stemmed sweet, black cherries, pitted

3 green onions, thinly sliced

1 inch of ginger, peeled and grated

zest and juice of 1 lime

black pepper

to serve:

a handful of pecans, roughly chopped

salt to taste

Place a large pot with about 2 inches of water on medium heat. Bring to a simmer and place cut sweet potatoes onto a steamer basket (or boil,  if boiling it will only take 3-4 min) . Lower steamer basket into the pot, put a lid on top and steam the sweet potatoes for 5-7 minutes or until just tender. Remove wedges with a pair of tongs, placing into a large tupperware container.

Cover the cooked sweet potatoes with the grapeseed oil, lime zest, lime juice, ground cumin, chipotle, chili flakes, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Make the cherry salsa: chop the pitted cherries roughly and place in a medium bowl. Add the sliced green onions, grated ginger, lime zest, lime juice and black pepper. Stir to combine and set aside.

Heat a your grill or grill pan to medium-high. Place marinated wedges, cut side down (as opposed to peel-side down) on the grill. Flip wedges after about 2-3 minutes. Cook other side for another 2 minutes and remove sweet potatoes from the grill.

To serve: Place wedges face up on a plate, season with salt if you like and cover with the cherry salsa.

Until tomorrow...Peace.