Today I’m sharing two of my favorite things. Not surprisingly, there are a lot of favorites going on in this bowl, but the main event is a well seasoned skirt steak and fries. I’ve always loved layers of flavors and this bowl has it all, including melted Monterey Jack cheese, sour cream, guacamole, chopped tomatoes, jalapenos, green onion and cilantro with a dusting of queso fresco cheese to top it off. I can vouch for these fries, I’ve been making them for years. They are baked in the oven, yet taste as if they were fried. They are lightly seasoned and stay crisp throughout the pile of layers. Now that it’s officially Spring, I’m looking forward to longer daylight, warmer days and more time to spend outdoors grilling. A good skirt steak is one of my favorites to grill, it tastes so good in dishes like this that can be sliced or cut into bite size pieces. I’ve been seeing a range of new recipes combining steak and potatoes sometimes called Steak Frites or Loaded Steak Fries which inspired this bowl. Remember when rice bowls were all the rage; I can’t wait to see these pop up on menus around town!
For us, one large potato per person is a good amount. The seasoning for these fries is salt, black pepper, garlic powder and cayenne pepper.
Before you get started with the fries, prep the skirt steak. I have an all purpose seasoning that I use for most all of my grilled meats. I call it burrito seasoning, however it goes with everything from chicken to steak to pork to ground beef. It includes ground Ancho chiles, Guajillo chiles, Chile de Arbol, Green Chile Salt, Onion and Garlic powder, and Coriander. I generously sprinkle it over the steak with a spritz of lime juice and roughly chopped cilantro. Let that sit and marinate while you prep the fries.
I know my method is different from some, but I always have good results doing this one step first. Place all your cut fries in a microwave safe bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Put the fries in the microwave and make sure to place a cover over top so that they will steam. Cook in intervals of 2 minutes per potato. I always cook on high 2 minutes, then toss them around and continue cooking another 2 minutes. The fries will be somewhat sticky because they release their starch in the microwave but they should be fork tender.
Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place the fries in a single layer with a bit of space in between each one. Sprinkle with the seasoning and add a drizzle of olive oil. Place in a preheated 425 degree oven for 12 minutes.
After 12 minutes, turn the fries over and cook an additional 12 minutes. Because they were partially cooked in the microwave they will cook faster allowing the outside to crisp while the inside will be cooked all the way through.
When you are about 10 minutes in with the potatoes in the oven, preheat the grill to 400 degrees for the steak. This steak was thinner than most so I grilled it approximately 2 minutes on both sides. Let the steak rest while the potatoes continue to crisp. After 5 minutes, slice the steak into bite size pieces.
Divide your fries in 2 bowls and sprinkle with cheese.
Turn off your oven but place the fries with cheese back into the warm oven to melt the cheese, it only takes a minute or two.
And begin to layer the fries beginning with the bite size pieces of seasoned steak.
Add a dollop of sour cream and guacamole, sprinkle with diced tomatoes, jalapenos, green onions and cilantro. Last but not least, lightly sprinkle Queso Fresco cheese over top. I also spritzed a lime wedge over top just for a little citrus kick.
Carne Asada Fries
2 large Russet Potatoes
Fry Seasoning, recipe follows
1/2 pound Skirt Steak
Burrito Seasoning, recipe follows
Monterey Jack Cheese
Sour Cream
Guacamole
Diced Tomatoes
Diced Jalapenos, stemmed and seeded
Cilantro, roughly chopped
Green Onion, sliced thin
Queso Fresco, crumbled with a fork
Wedges of Lime
Olive Oil, for drizzling over Potatoes and Skirt Steak
Cooking Spray
**I didn’t give amounts for the toppings because it’s really an individual taste as to what or how much you want.
Prepare steak by sprinkling with burrito seasoning, chopped cilantro and a spritz of lime juice. Let that marinate while you prep the potatoes.
Peel, rinse and slice potatoes. Place all your cut fries in a microwave safe bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Place in the microwave and make sure to place a cover over top so that they will steam. Cook in intervals of 2 minutes per potato. I always cook on high 2 minutes, then toss them around and continue cooking another 2 minutes.
Spray cooking spray on a baking sheet. Place the fries in a single layer leaving a bit of space in between each one. They may be starchy and sticky, so make sure they are separated. Sprinkle fry seasoning over the cut fries and drizzle with olive oil. Place in preheated 425 degree oven for 12 minutes. Turn the fries over to bake the other side an additional 12 minutes. The fries should look crisp on the outside.
Preheat outdoor grill to 400 degrees. Grill steak approximately 2 – 3 minutes on each side depending on thickness of the steak. *Skirt steak can be as thick as 1/2 inch or sometimes much thinner. My steak was extremely thin and I cooked it 2 minutes on each side for a medium rare cut. Use your judgement based on thickness and how well done you want the steak to be.
Let the steak rest 5 minutes. Slice into bite size pieces.
To assemble bowl, divide cooked fries into 2 oven safe bowls. Sprinkle a layer of Monterey Jack cheese over top and place the bowls back into the warm oven for a couple of minutes, just until the cheese melts. Remove from oven and add sliced steak, plus a dollop of sour cream and guacamole. Sprinkle with chopped tomatoes, jalapenos, green onions, cilantro and crumbled queso fresco. Spritz with lime juice if desired.
Fry Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
Mix all ingredients together. Any unused seasoning can be stored in a plastic zip lock bag for later use.
Burrito Seasoning.
1 teaspoon Ancho Chile, ground
1 teaspoon Guajillo Chile, ground
1 teaspoon Green Chile Salt (1 parts sea salt ground, 1 part green chile powder)
1/2 teaspoon Onion Powder
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 teaspoon Coriander
1/4 teaspoon Chile de Arbol
Combine all spices together. Any unused seasoning can be stored in a plastic zip lock bag for later use.
Makes 2 servings
5 thoughts on “Carne Asada Fries”
Karen
This sounds great but there is one thing I would do differently. I’m probably the only person that doesn’t like “bowls” of stacked foods so I’ll serve the fries with the cheese topping but with the steak on the side. I guess sometimes, you just can’t teach an old dog new tricks. 😀
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NativeNM
The beauty of food is that we all have different tastes. If you like your steak on the side, I am okay with that! Living with someone who is basically a meat and potatoes guy, I seek different ways to change it up and sneak in some extra’s like avocado, tomato, onion which he wouldn’t necessarily eat otherwise.
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Karen
Very clever, I like that. 😀
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mjskit
What a pileup of total deliciousness! Love that you make oven fries. I haven’t had much luck with that so I’m going to have to try you process of pre-microwaving. Flank steak is usually my meat of choice, but I’ve always been curious about skirt steak. Need to give your recipe a try. It looks most fabulous!!!
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NativeNM
Thank you so much MJ! My favorite thing in the world is fried potatoes but since I’ve given up frying (for the most part), these oven fries are the next best thing. I am a fan of flank steak and skirt steak. One reason I go to skirt steak first is that it is thinner and I can grill it so much faster, plus it is a tender cut if cooked medium rare. I think flank steak would be awesome fixed this way too.
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