An Inspired Cook

My husband Joe is a steak and potatoes kind of guy.  I have to be creative sometimes to come up with different ways to serve it so it’s not the same old dish time after time.  This idea came from a pinterest photo that looked like stir fried steak and potatoes.  However when I tried to connect to the recipe it was no longer available so I just went by the picture and took ideas on how to make it my own.  The picture clearly had steak, potatoes, corn and red pepper plus some green herbs that were not distinguishable.  And it also looked like it had some type of sauce, perhaps Siracha or salsa with pepper flakes.  It looked so appetizing I thought I would give it a try.  Instead of making it a wok dish I decided to cook some things on the grill and then add everything together in a cast iron skillet with salsa to bind it together.  It was truly delicious and spicy.

My favorite seasoning consists of Ancho, Guajillo and Chile de Arbol chiles that have been ground, green chile salt, onion, garlic and coriander powder.  I make up enough to fill a jar and use it whenever I grill beef, chicken or pork.

Sprinkle on both sides of the steak and drizzle with lime olive oil.  If you don’t have flavored olive oil, just drizzle the olive oil with a spritz of fresh lime juice. Place the steak in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

When you are ready to start the meal, heat up the grill to 400 degrees.  Place the steak and ear of corn on the grill.  Cook the steak to medium rare.  It will cook a bit more in the skillet with the other ingredients. I eyeballed the thickness of the steak and grilled it approximately 4 minutes on each side.  Adjust your grilling depending on the thickness of the cut of steak.

When you are ready to start, cut up 2 large potatoes into big cubes.  Don’t worry about peeling them unless you want to.  Place the cubed potatoes in a microwave safe bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and microwave on high for 2 minutes per potato.

After 2 minutes, stir the potatoes before microwaving the remaining 2 minutes.  They should be fork tender at this point, partially cooked and will brown nicely in less time.

Heat up a cast iron skillet with a drizzle of olive oil.  When hot add the cubed potatoes to the pan and sprinkle fry seasoning over top.  The fry seasoning is made of 1 part sea salt, 1/2 part garlic powder and 1/4 part black pepper.  Fry seasoning is another one of the many spice blends that I keep in a jar ready to use.  Fry potatoes over medium high heat tossing potatoes every few minutes until they are crisp and browned.

Just about ready.  If there is any lingering oils, use a paper towel to blot up any excess oil then return potatoes to the pan.

Meanwhile the grilled steak has rested for a bit and ready to slice.

Cross cut into bite size pieces.

Next comes the roasted corn that has been cut from the cob.

Add the steak bites.

I  substituted roasted red chiles in place of roasted red bell pepper to spice things up a bit.

For the greens I used sliced green onion and roughly chopped cilantro.  Just a handful will do. As you mix and toss the greens will begin to wilt.

I made some of my favorite salsa to bind it all together.  Lots of flavors going on in this dish.

The last touch is a sprinkle of queso fresco cheese crumbles.  Enjoy!




Steak and Potato Skillet Dish

1 pound Skirt Steak
Burrito Seasoning, recipe follows
Lime Olive Oil
2 large Potatoes, cut into cubes
Fry Seasoning, recipe follows
Olive Oil for the fries
Corn, 1 large ear roasted and cut from the cob
1/4 cup Roasted Red Chile, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons Green Onion, chopped
2 tablespoons Cilantro, roughly chopped
1/4 cup Green Chile Salsa, homemade or from a jar.
Queso Fresco Cheese, crumbled

Prepare steak by sprinkling burrito seasoning over the steak and drizzling with olive oil.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Heat a grill to 400 degrees.  Grill Steak to medium rare, 3 – 5 minutes on each side depending on thickness. Let rest 5 minutes then slice and cut steak into bite size pieces.  While the steak is on the grill place the ear of corn on the grill turning 2 – 3 times over a ten minute period. Cut the corn from the cob and set aside.

Place cubed potatoes in a microwave safe bowl and drizzle with olive oil.  Microwave on high covered for 2 minutes.  Stir the potatoes and microwave 2 minutes more.

Heat a large cast iron skillet or wok over medium high heat.  Add a small drizzle of olive oil and add the potatoes.  Sprinkle with fry seasoning over all the potatoes.  Stir the potatoes so that they will crisp and brown over all sides. Since the potatoes have been microwaved and partially cooked they will crisp and brown in 5 – 7 minutes and will be fully cooked inside.  Blot any excess oils from the skillet.

When the potatoes are done, add the roasted corn, grilled steak, roasted red chile, green onion and cilantro.  Stir everything together and add the salsa to coat evenly throughout the ingredients.  Serve with a spinkle of crumbled queso fresco cheese.

Burrito Seasoning.

1 teaspoon Ancho Chile, ground
1 teaspoon Guajillo Chile, ground
1 teaspoon Green Chile Salt (1 part 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, ground

Combine all spices together.  Any unused seasoning can be stored in a plastic zip lock bag for later use.

Fry Seasoning

1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
Mix all ingredients together.  Any unused seasoning can be stored in a plastic zip lock bag or a spice jar for later use.