Savory Summertime Steak Salad
This time of year, my favorite way to enjoy the long, warm summer nights is a leisurely grill & chill session. Glass of rosé in hand, lounging with friends, listening to Steely Dan (yup), and waiting for the grill to warm up. Turns out Calvin’s Dad was right.
Obviously steak is a classic grillin & chillin choice, and I’m a sucker for a big steak salad. This recipe is a great way to use a slab o’ grilled steak. Every good steak salad needs some blue cheese, so don’t skimp on this ingredient – get a nice, creamy, strong blue. Don’t skip grilling/caramelizing the onions, either. Raw onions are just not the same, although some very thinly sliced red onion pieces could work in a pinch.
Summertime Steak Salad with Worcestershire Dijon Dressing
Salad:
1 pound flank steak
4 cups your favorite greens – spinach, baby kale, baby chard, romaine, or a mix
1 large avocado, cubed
1/2 sweet yellow onion
2 cups crimini mushrooms, halved
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
Dressing:
3 tablespoons worcestershire
3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons good dijon mustard (I love Maille’s Dijon Originale)
A pinch of salt, pinch of red chile flakes, and few healthy cranks of fresh cracked black pepper
Place your greens, avocado, and blue cheese into a large serving bowl and set aside for later.
Once your grill is the right temp, throw your steak on and cook to medium rare. I usually do mine for 3-5 minutes either side (I like to err on the side of rareness), as long as it’s a fairly thin piece of meat. Depending on your grill, the thickness of the steak, how well done you like your meat, etc. you might need to keep it on there longer. I trust you to take care of this part. Just make sure to let the steak rest for 5-10 minutes after you take it off the heat, then cut it against the grain into 1″ slices.
To cook your onions and mushrooms, you have options. You can chop the onion into big chunks and skewer it along with the mushrooms and grill them alongside the steak, or if you don’t have room on the grill you could caramelize the onions inside in a grill pan and add the mushrooms to sauté at the end.
Toss the steak and vegetables into the salad bowl with the rest of your ingredients. The still-warm meat and grilled veggies should help the blue cheese get all melty and extra delicious.
Shake all the dressing ingredients together in a mason jar or dressing shaker. Pour over the salad and gently toss everything together. Serve with a little extra blue cheese sprinkling and some more fresh cracked black pepper!
