Sometimes meals are all about rolling with the punches. Unexpected or unforeseen things happen and instead of getting bent out of shape, just move on! Case in point, my dinner Saturday night. If any of you are from Chicago you are well aware of the crazy unexpected rain and thunderstorms we've been having. What is the deal?! Anywho, after a long day of running errands with my man I wanted to have a summery night outside and treat ourselves to a nice dinner at home! We got great wine, high quality flank steak, veggies, and shrimp. (Shrimp cocktail is one of the ways to his heart so I buy it often!) After unloading the final bag from the car and starting the process of emptying grocery bags it suddenly dawned on me that our once beautifully sunny sky had turned dark and full of lightning. Within seconds came the terrential downpour. So much for grilling... We called Rosati's. After being sort of letdown I quickly found the silver lining... There's always tomorrow night! So that's what led me to tonight's dinner which turned out fabulous and just as good as it would have last night.
First off, I found really pretty purple sweet potatoes and thought that'd be fun to mix with the standard version. Bummer that the color was only in the skin but both deliciously sweet.
Anyways, give them a good scrub if you aren't peeling. Dry them off well and cut into thin planks. I cut them in half vertically, and again horizontally.
Always put the cut-side down for better stability! Cut into whatever shape you like and throw them in a large plastic bag. (For ease of cleaning.)
Drizzle in olive oil and season with salt, pepper, garlic salt, and a few dashes of chili powder for smokiness.
Massage bag until evenly coated and set aside.
Take the meat out and let it come to room temp for about a half hour until your ready to cook it to ensure even cooking. Now, this is when I went outside to enjoy my wine, shrimp, and love of my life.
Okay back to dinner! I seasoned the steak simply with Montreal Steak seasoning and a bit extra pepper. I finished with a light drizzle of oil before grilling to prevent from sticking. I grilled it along with the sweet potato planks for about 6 minutes on each side and brought it in to cover and let rest before cutting!
I also made grilled asparagus that took no time at all! Trim the bottom inch or 2 off and season with olive oil, salt and pepper and turn them to coat. I threw them on the grill after the steak for just a couple minutes to take the edge off... I still like a slight snap to my asparagus.
Let the steak rest for about 8-10 minutes. I like to thinly slice flank steak on an angle like pictured above.
And there you have it! A pretty balanced meal.
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