After so much activity in the last week and a half, I needed a quiet evening in. I made a simple steak dinner last night, and today I get one of my favorite dishes: Leftover Steak Salad with a punchy vinaigrette. Best followed by a nap with your dog. Recipe and video.
Meals with others!
Well goodness! I had more social activity in the last week and a half than I’ve had in fourteen months, and I loved it. From outdoor tapas with friends (and too much wine for me) to barbequed chicken and makeup Thanksgiving dinner with my family in New Hampshire, to a bahn mi eaten yesterday on a bench in Boston Common, I’ve had some wonderful, memorable meals, none of which I cooked myself.
A simple, quiet meal at home, savored
Yesterday evening, after getting my hair cut (oh hurrah!), and having a proper wander about Boston for the first time since the Befores, I cooked myself a simple dinner. After so much activity, I am tired, and this dinner is one I often make when I need to reset. It’s delicious and a little bit fancy, but it cooks up in a flash, without a lot of fuss.
For dinner, I made pan seared steak (from Walden Local Meats—a subscription I just signed up for) with garlic and lots of cracked pepper, served with a simple wine reduction and an herbed mustard butter (I originally got the recipe from David Lebovitz’s My Paris Kitchen, but I just wing it now); boiled new potatoes with more of the mustard butter; steamed asparagus; a salad with cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and lots of dill; and some bread and fresh chèvre with fig jam. I snacked on olives and radishes while I cooked, not having the energy for a proper first course. A nice red accompanied a slow, leisurely dinner.
Afterwards I watched a movie, snuggled up with Ollie on the couch, feeling more like myself, and went to bed on the early side for a Saturday. Alas, Ollie got up at six this morning, so I didn’t exactly have a luxurious lie-in, but it’s still a good Sunday.
Leftover Steak Salad
I really love the herbed mustard butter for the attitude it brings, setting off the richness of the steak and offering a little kick (I also love chimichurri with steak, for the same reason). The salad, too, with herbs and a generous splash of white wine vinegar, gives everything a little kick.
I like to recreate this kick when I have leftovers. One of my favorite things to do with leftover steak is to make a big salad, with some veggies, chèvre, olives, and a punchy vinaigrette, topped with some fresh chopped herbs. Served with a hunk of crusty bread, and a nice glass of red on the weekend, it’s a slightly decadent lunch that takes little more than chopping to get to the table.
Best followed by a lazy Sunday nap with your dog.
Recipe below.
Leftover Steak Salad
Ingredients
For the salad
- leftover cooked steak, thickly sliced on the diagonal You want to eat this with a steak knife
- 1-2 handfuls salad greens If you have it, a more substantial lettuce would be helpful here
- 4 cherry tomatoes, cut into halves or quarters, depending on size If tomatoes are in season, you know what to do. Otherwise, cherry tomatoes are just fine
- 4-5 olives
- 4 asparagus spears, cooked and cut on the diagonal If possible, steam these just before making your salad, and then chill in ice water, but leftover cooked asparagus is fine. If asparagus isn't in season, feel free to swap it out for snappy green beans or other veggie of your choice
- 2 tsp chopped flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
- flaky salt, to serve
- fresh ground pepper, to serve I tend to make a rather peppery steak, so I tend to omit this
For the vinaigrette (this will make a little extra)
- 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1.25 Tbsp white wine vinegar To taste
- .5 tsp minced shallots
- 1.25 tsp Dijon mustard
- kosher salt and freshly ground pepper To taste. See note
Instructions
Make the vinaigrette
- In a jar with a secure lid (you could also whisk everything with a fork), add the olive oil, and shake it until you see the oil get a bit cloudy. You're making an emulsion, and this helps to prepare the oil
- Add the vinegar, and shake again until combined
- Add the shallots and the mustard, and shake one more time. If you thought of it early, allowing the shallots to marinate a bit is lovely, but it will be fine on your salad now
Assemble the salad
- On the plate you'll serve the salad on, add the salad greens
- Arrange the steak on top of the greens
- Add the tomatoes, olives, and asparagus
- Crumble the cheese over the salad
- Top with vinaigrette and parsley, and season with flaky salt and freshly ground black pepper
