Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Grilled Sirloin, Roasted Potatoes and Tomato Mozzarella Salad


I have the best roommate in the world -- she's fun, she loves reality TV, she washes the dishes, and she has no problem being my culinary guinea pig. She also happened to give me a $100 gift certificate to Williams-Sonoma for Christmas, which I immediately used to buy an indoor electric grill. This little grill has opened up a whole new world of home cooking options for me. Good bye ugly, dry pan-seared meats.  Helloooo grilled pork chops, hamburgers, and juicy charred steaks!


Dan and I had big plans to make pasta from scratch, but then 5 o'clock rolled around and we were both feeling super lazy and under-motivated. So what could we make for dinner that's fast and delicious? Steak! Potatoes! Salad!


On the rare occasions that we cook together, Dan is always in charge of all the grilling.  Asian people don't really barbeque much, so grilling is a little out of my comfort zone. But this steak is so easy I think even I could handle it -- rub the meat with olive oil, season it with salt and pepper, and then slap it on the grill.


When you have steak, you need to eat it with potatoes. Need to. End of story. Mashed, baked, roasted, whatever -- it's all good!


I'm sick of lettuce salads.  I eat so much lettuce everyday that I'm bound to turn into a rabbit any day now. Caesar salads, garden salads -- they're all so boring. So today I decided to get really crazy and make a tomato and mozzarella salad. It's simple to make, has a lot of interesting flavors and textures, and  looks so pretty with its contrasting colors. It's also light, healthy, and nicely balances out the richer steak and potatoes.


I'll be honest, I didn't follow any sort of recipe for today's meal. I just kind of seasoned at will and winged it.  Luckily everything turned out well, but the measurements and steps below are sort of vague.  Sorry!

Grilled Sirloin Steaks

Ingredients:

- 1lb Top Sirloin Filets
- Salt
- Pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil

Steps:
(1) Rub filets all over with oil
(2) Season both sides with salt and pepper to taste.
(3) Place steaks on hot grill.  For medium rare, cook each side for about 7-10 minutes depending on how thick they are.


Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients:

- 5 to 6 baby potatoes of choice
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Salt
- 2 tsp rosemary

Steps:

(1) Preheat oven to 400.
(2) Wash and dry potatoes. Cut in halves or fourths depending on how large the potato is.
(3) Toss wedges in a medium sized bowl with olive oil, salt (to taste), and rosemary.
(4) Spread potatoes evenly on a greased pan and place inside oven.
(5) Cook for about 30 minutes (leave them in there longer if still hard).  Flip wedges over at the halfway mark.


Tomato and Mozzarella Salad

Ingredients:

- 1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped.
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2 medium sized tomatoes
- As much mozzarella as you want. (I used about 3 oz)
- Salt

Steps:

(1) Chop tomatoes and mozzarella into small pieces.
(2) Toss with olive oil, salt, and basil in a small bowl. Serve!

1 comment:

karl said...

if ur grill can get high heat, finish these with a splash of melted butter and you'll get an absolutely beautiful crust

a+ for square hashmarks :-)