Steak and Potato Salad

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This simple recipe comes from the Betty Crocker test kitchen. Prepared as written, it makes a quick and flavorful summer meal. Because I often have leftover steak, I've developed another version of the salad that uses steak slices and eliminates the grilling step in the directions that appear below. When you have steak that is ready to go, simply boil or steam the potatoes and get them into the dressing while they are still warm. Add thinly sliced steak and toss to coat it with dressing before proceeding with the original recipe. This makes a great summer salad and it is perfect for those warm days when you want to serve a lighter meal. I know you will enjoy this. Here is how the steak and potato salads are made.

A Quick Asian Inspired Meal - Maple Glazed Flank Steak

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is a great Asian-inspired main course that is really easy to make. The recipe is simple to follow and you'll have no problem getting this steak to the table. Flank steak, however,  can be tricky to work with because, despite best efforts, it can be tough and stringy. I urge you to use a jaccard or fork to tenderize the meat before you place it in the marinade. The steak is remarkably flavorful and I love to serve it with rice noodles and an Asian cucumber salad. This version of flank steak comes from Cooking Light magazine and I know you and your family will love its figure friendly flavor. Here is how the steak is made.

Steak Pimenton with Harissa Sauce

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I must tell you this is another of my almost-famous "-ish" creations. The Silver Fox and I had nothing like this the entire time we were in Spain and Morocco, but it was inspired by the herbs and spices that are used there. It also serves as a wonderful vehicle to introduce a fiery North African condiment called harissa. The steak has a spicy "Come to the Casbah" flair, due in part to a simple rub that's used for flavoring, but the coup de grâce, comes from the harissa oil that is poured over the steak before it is served. Talk about good! The ingredients needed to make this steak can be found in any large market, and the good news is they keep forever. Chances are you'll go to your grave with the granulated garlic and onion still in your pantry. I like to use a flat iron steak for this recipe, but any cut normally used to make London Broil can be substituted, as long as it is tenderized. I use a jaccard to tenderize ours. The steak is at its best when it sits several hours before grilling. If you don't have a grill, or the weather is foul, use a griddle pan and sear the steak over high heat on a burner. I know those of you who try this recipe will be pleased. It's simple to make and it is delicious. Here is how the steak is made.

Poor Boy Steak

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I saw this recipe on Kami's blog, "No Biggie", and I knew I had to give it a try. The recipe was created by her mother, Debbie Markle,  who won first place for it at a beef cook-off  while she was still in high school. Kami uses her mother's marinade for an upgraded version of the recipe which swaps tri-tip steak for the pot roast used in the original dish.  I probably should change the name of the recipe because poor boy's don't eat tri-tip steak in this area of the country, but because I'm featuring the recipe exactly as it appeared on No Biggie, it didn't feel right to play with her title. There are a couple of things I wanted to share with you. You know that horrid orange French dressing that we hate to use. Well, I used it here because that is what would have been available at the time of her mother competed in the beef cook-off. I also swapped Heinz 57 Sauce for the ketchup to add extra flavor to the marinade. If you decide to give this recipe a try, remember that it needs to marinate for 24 hours before it is grilled. While it is not inexpensive to make, it is very easy to prepare. I'll be making this again, but the next time it surfaces in my rotation, I think I'll use a pot roast so I can compare the two versions. I do hope you give this recipe a try. Here is how Poor Boy Steak is made.

Marinated Top-Sirloin Steak

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...We've had days of rain, some of near biblical proportions, and it's been unseasonably cold here in Oregon. Our last big "do" of the holiday season was last night and with no pressing commitments and the promise of clear weather, we decided to play hooky for the day and head to the coast to replenish our supply of smoked salmon. That, of course, meant that the meal I had planned for dinner tonight had to be simplified, and I decided that steak would be the easiest to prepare once we were home. The steaks I had in the freezer happened to be top-sirloins, which, while economical, are not particularly flavorful and can be quite chewy. I knew they needed marination to improve their taste and texture, so, I did a quick microwave defrost and prepared this sauce which I know helps to tenderize cheaper cuts of beef. I understand that my use of instant minced onions and garlic will horrify some of you, but a gal has to do what a gal has to do, and I wanted to get on the road as quickly as possible, lest the weather gods change their minds and necessitate removal of the ark from the garage. I keep dehydrated onions and garlic in my pantry for emergency purposes, but I've also been known to use them when I'm in a hurry or putting together a marinade such as the one I'm featuring tonight. Their use makes this marinade effortless to assemble and steaks that spend some time in it are really flavorful. I do hope you'll have the opportunity to give this recipe a try. I know you will not be disappointed. Here is how the marinated steaks are made.