Maybe it was an homage to our Irish roots, or maybe it was just because they’re dirt cheap, but my dad fed me A LOT of potatoes growing up. We’d have potatoes O’Brien for Sunday breakfast, and have a baked potato with about half our weeknight dinners.
I love potatoes as much as the next person, but baked potatoes get old really fast. I get it: baked potatoes are an easy way to get a filling starch on the plate alongside a cut of meat and a little salad. This recipe, though, brings meat and potatoes together on top of the salad. It’s a fun twist on the typical steak salad, and slightly more filling.
And I dare say the roasted baby red potatoes are more exciting – and more delicate – than a baked potato. The cheese, radishes and horseradish dressing amp up the flavor and the color of this dish, taking typical “steak and potatoes” to the next level. Serve this steak salad with a nice dry red wine for a special date night.
Steak and Potatoes Salad
Ingredients
For the salad
- 1½ pounds red potatoes, cut into ½-inch chunks
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon kosher or sea salt
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 pound strip steak (2 strips, about 8 ounces each)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ½ head green leaf lettuce, roughly chopped
- 6 ounces arugula
- 2 tablespoons shallots, thinly sliced
- 1 cup radishes, thinly sliced
- ½ cup bleu cheese crumbles
For the dressing
- 1 tablespoon creamed horseradish
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400. Toss cut potatoes in bowl with oil, salt and pepper. Place potatoes flesh-side down on baking sheet, and cover pan with foil. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake until side touching pan is golden brown and crispy, about 10 minutes. Turn potatoes other side down and bake another 5 minutes.
- Heat cast-iron skillet 10 minutes over medium heat. Generously salt and pepper both sides of steak strips. Add oil to pan and swirl to coat. Place steaks in pan and cook 5 minutes, until browned on one side. Turn and cook 3-5 minutes, depending on desired doneness. Remove steaks from pan and allow them to rest at least 5 minutes, then slice into ¼-inch pieces.
- Meanwhile, whisk dressing ingredients together in a medium bowl, adding more horseradish or sour cream to taste.
- Add lettuce and arugula to salad bowls, tossing to mix, followed by shallots, radishes and potatoes, then sliced steak. Drizzle a small amount of dressing on top – a little goes a long way.
Notes
Got leftover red potatoes? Use them in this Pacific Northwest Salad Niçoise.
Parts of this recipe were adapted from the Cook’s Illustrated killer book, The Best Recipe. This is one of my favorite cookbooks, as it explains how to make hundreds of traditional dishes, and includes the science behind the method.