in the kitchen: steak salad with blue cheese & walnuts

Red meat is a frequent bone of contention in our house. I want less, John wants more. What can I say? He’s a man. Men love meat.

One of our favorite compromises is this delicious steak salad, which lets us split one steak between the two of us in a most enjoyable manner. It’s super casual and easy; we just toss in the ingredients according to how much or how little we like. We’ve prepared it with a homemade orange balsamic dressing and a bottled blue cheese vinaigrette; both are scrumptious. (Note: if you use the blue cheese vinaigrette, decrease the amount of added blue cheese accordingly).

Please excuse the photo quality; this was one of those snap-a-quick-photo-with-the-iPhone-before-chowing-down nights. Now, on to the recipe:

Hillside Hideaway Steak Salad
Serves 2

steak
12 oz center cut ribeye
salt and pepper

salad
mixed greens or baby spring greens
red onion, chopped or thinly sliced
walnuts, halved and lightly toasted
blue cheese, crumbled
croutons, if you have some on hand

dressing
1 part olive oil
2 parts balsamic vinegar
splash of orange juice
garlic powder
salt and pepper

1. Season the steak with salt and pepper. On a very hot grill, sear for 2 minutes on each side. Turn the grill down to low and grill to your desired doneness. Set aside to rest.

2. Whisk all dressing ingredients together until well combined. We usually use 2 parts vinegar to 1 part olive oil, a splash of orange juice, and salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste.

3. Slice steak into thin slices. Assemble salad, toss with dressing and top with steak slices and some extra blue cheese. Enjoy!

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