Good evening everyone! The butcher at our local grocery store allows the option for certain cuts of meat to be purchased in bulk. Chicken breasts, bratwurst, even steaks can all be bundled into 10 – 12 cuts and sold at a more efficient price. We like to purchase our steak this way for two purposes; first of all it allows us to always have some steak on hand (always a perk, since you never know when you’ll have the urge to grill up a steak after enjoying a weekend outside) and secondly, it cuts down the price per steak significantly.
This reduced price helps when it comes to creativity too. How so? Well, a cheaper steak means you may be willing to take a few more risks than if you had a premium priced steak. Tonight’s recipe, for instance, came into play simply because I had a vast quantity of steak in the freezer – steak that’s cost per unit was no more than ground beef – so I was willing to be a bit bold and try a new seasoning combination. I’m glad I did – and I think you will be too!
The Recipe: Marrakech Grilled Steak & Sweet Potatoes
Original Recipe From: Eatingwell.com
What You’ll Need:
(Serves 2)
8 Ounces Steak (Your choice of cut and quality, although a middle of the road sirloin is probably best)
1 Small Red Onion, Sliced Thin*
1 Medium Sweet Potato, Peeled, Sliced Thin*
½ Teaspoon Ground Allspice
½ Teaspoon Ground Cumin
½ Teaspoon Ground Ginger
½ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
¼ Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
¼ Teaspoon Ground Coriander
¼ Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
2 Teaspoons Canola Oil
* A good rule of thumb I’ve found is when a recipe calls for something to be thinly sliced, move your knife to where you believe “thinly sliced” is, then move the knife over a little more. I found this to be especially true for this dish. We’re cooking the veggies on the grill, and if you want them done in any expeditious manner, you’re best slicing them about as thin as you safely can.
*Preheat your grill to 500 degrees, clean the racks and reduce the temperature to medium high.
Combine all of the spices in a medium bowl, mixing them well. Next, take a pinch of the seasoning and apply it to each side of the steaks evenly. If you’re preparing this dish ahead of time, wrap the steaks in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Otherwise, transfer the steaks to a plate and set them aside.
In the same bowl you mixed the spices, add the canola oil (there should still be a good amount of seasoning left). Add in the sweet potatoes and red onion and toss until all of the veggies are coated. (I found using my hand to be the best method).
Next, lay a large sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil on the counter and distribute the veggies evenly in the center. Fold the foil around the veggies to form a pouch, making sure to crease all the seams to prevent leaking. Once sealed, lay another large sheet of aluminum foil on the counter and wrap the veggies a second time. We’re going to be cooking the veggies over high, direct heat. The more layers of foil you add, the less likely you are to burn the veggies during this process. Double layering is your friend!
If your grill has two burners, raise one burner to medium high and place the veggie packet directly over the heat source. (If you only have one burner, place the packet over the hottest part of the grill). Allow the veggies to cook for 5 minutes on each side before adding the steaks to the grill.
Set the second burner to medium and place the steaks on the grill. Cook them for 3 to 5 minutes per side for medium rare, or 5 to 7 minutes per side for medium. As you’re cooking the steaks, be sure to continue flipping the veggie pouch every 3 to 5 minutes as well – that way you’ll prevent burning.
Once the steaks are done, remove them from the grill and allow them to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Use those 5 minutes to finish cooking the vegetables – again, making sure they’re flipped every 2 minutes. Remove the veggies from the grill – CAREFULLY open the packet and serve alongside the steaks. Enjoy!
The Results:
I’m not normally one who likes to heavily season my steak. So, when I initially saw this recipe and it’s multitude of spices, I was a bit cautious. I was worried that the steak would be overpowered by the seasonings and lose out on its great natural flavors. Thankfully, each spice in this recipe is so a reduced quantity that no one spice overpowers the dish. Instead, a beautiful melding of cinnamon, cayenne, ginger and coriander all “pop” at different times, and they all compliment the steak’s flavor nicely. The veggies make a great addition to the dish as well. The sweet potato and red onion contrast nicely, and the seasoning used for the steaks blends the entire dish together . All in all, this is certainly one steak recipe you’ll have to give a try.
That’s all we have for you this evening. Maggie takes to the kitchen tomorrow night with a brand new recipe of her own. We’ll follow that up with another new recipe on Friday – this one will be kicking off a summer long theme for the blog. Until then,
~Cheers
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