Steak Salad

This is a nice, fancier-than-ordinary meal for a weeknight. With a glass of wine (well-chilled pinot grigio, to be exact) it hits the "TGIF!" spot just right, without having to deal with the lines and sodium content of a restaurant meal.

One of my favorite parts of this meal was the dressed vegetables that go on top of the salad. I told The H that I'd like to serve those as a side to another meal sometime, never mind the rest of the salad! Although very good, this is a bit time consuming--not one to try last minute.
 
Grilled Steak and Potato Salad
slightly modified from this recipe on allrecipes.com
serves 4

1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp minced garlic (I used 2 large cloves)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp granulated sugar (or clean substitute of your choosing)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 1/2 pounds small red potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
1 lb boneless sirloin, NY strip, or Delmonico steak
1/2 lb fresh green beans
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced thinly
1/2 lb white mushrooms, washed and sliced
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced (I left this out)
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, washed and halved (I left these out)
Salad greens of your choice

1. Whisk together vinegar, mustard, garlic, salt, thyme, pepper, sugar, and oil. Place beef in a shallow dish and pour 1/3 of the marinade over. Turn to coat. Marinate at least 30 minutes.

2. Place potatoes in large pot and cover with cold water; add a palmful of salt. Bring to a boil and cook until fork-tender, 12-15 minutes. Drain potatoes and place in a large bowl; pour half the remaining dressing over and stir gently to coat.

3. Microwave beans on high power for 2 minutes, or until just tender. Add to potatoes, along with mushrooms, bell pepper, onion, and tomatoes (if using).

4. Prepare grill pan, cast iron skillet, or broiler for cooking the steak. Remove steak from marinade, discarding the remaining marinade, and cook until desired doneness is reached. Let rest 5 minutes before slicing against the grain into thin strips.

5. Arrange salad greens among four plates. Top each serving with potato-vegetable mixture and a portion of sliced steak. Drizzle with remaining dressing.

I was so busy in the kitchen that I didn't know what the little guy was up to until The H brought me some pictures:



That's the hazard of keeping fresh fruit (sort of) within small hands' reach!