Summer Steak and Grilled Vegetable Salad from Pat LaFrieda

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Pat LaFrieda, New York’s Butcher

Quick! Name a famous butcher! Well, if you’re from New York, the first name you would likely come up with would be that of Pat LaFrieda, a third generation butcher whose LaFrieda Meats supplies, among other places, the enormously popular Shake Shack with their particular blend of hamburger meat. (It’s a top-secret formula so you won’t find it here or anywhere else). Recently, Pat LaFrieda wrote a complete article about Skirt Steak on the grill for Fine Cooking Magazine. Skirt steak, Mr. LaFrieda said, has been his favorite cut of beef for as long as he can remember. Since he started working with his father when he was ten and took over the business entirely twenty-one years ago, he’s had plenty of chances to change his mind. But no, he believes that skirt steak packs the most flavor and tells us he grills it about every week in the summer. And with it, he serves as much great seasonal produce as he can find. Hence, this recipe for a steak salad extraordinaire, and one that I wanted to pass on to you before another day in summer passes.

As to Pat’s preference for Skirt Steak, I would agree entirely and I would gladly eat it as my steak of choice, summer or winter. It does, however, have its detractors. To some its intense beef flavor is just too gam-y and so, in deference to those who do, a great flank steak is a perfect stand in for Pat’s preferred Skirt Steak. And they are both about the same reasonable price.

The first time I made the dish, I followed Pat’s recipe to a Tee.

The picture on the left shows the platter pretty much as it appeared in Fine Cooking’s August/September 2015 issue. Note that the corn has been grilled and then strewn across the top of the grilled meat. What I noticed what that my guests had very neatly removed the corn and the scallions from their meat and put them to one side.

So the second time around, I decided to separate the corn from the platter altogether. Instead I made another of my quick corn-off-the-cob side dishes by stripping kernels from 6 cobs, softening a large diced white onion in olive oil before adding the corn just until it was heated through.

The other addition we made to round two was the simplest of garlic breads. Andrew added a good three tablespoons of chopped garlic to two sticks of unsalted butter which he then spread on a baguette that had been halved lengthwise and cut into 6 inch sections. The second set of dinner guests loved the garlic bread just as much as the main event. The great thing about this dish is the bounty of vegetables that not only bring brilliant color to the serving platter, they make it look like the healthiest dish on earth. And while we all should be cutting down on meat, for the sake of the planet if nothing else, the pleasures of a grilled steak on a summer evening cannot really be replaced. Here is the recipe:

Summer Steak and Grilled Vegetable Salad by Pat LaFrieda in Fine Cooking Magazine. Serves 4. Takes about one hour active time and one to six hours of marinating time.

For the steak

2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

2 medium cloves garlic, smashed

3 4-inch sprigs fresh rosemary, bruised with the dull side of a knife

3 sprigs fresh thyme, bruised with the dull side of a knife

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1-1/2 lb. skirt or flank steak, trimmed of excess surface fat

For the vegetables:

3 Tbs. chopped fresh basil

3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

1 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 medium cloves garlic, minced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 red bell peppers, seeded and quartered

2 small yellow summer squash, sliced on a sharp diagonal 1/2 inch thick

2 small zucchini, sliced on a sharp diagonal

1/2 inch thick

2 ears of corn, husked

1 cup cherry tomatoes, preferably a mix of colors, halved

2 scallions, thinly sliced on a diagonal

Flaky sea salt (optional) 

First, marinate the steak:

Combine the oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper in a baking dish or zip-top bag large enough to hold the steak. Add the steak and marinate for at least 1 hour at room temperature or up to 6 hours in the refrigerator.

To Grill the vegetables and steak:

Prepare a medium-high (400°F to 475°F) gas or charcoal grill fire.

Or use a grill pan over medium high heat on the stovetop.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine 2 Tbs. of the basil and 1 Tbs. of the oil with the vinegar, parsley, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. Brush the peppers, squash, zucchini, with 1 Tbs. oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Grill, turning occasionally, until tender with nice grill marks, 10 to 15 minutes. Arrange all on a large platter and drizzle with the vinaigrette.

Remove the kernels from the corn and make the simple corn side dish as described in the body of this post.

Remove the steak from the marinade, cut into manageable pieces for grilling, if you like, season generously with salt and pepper, and grill, flipping once, until grill marks form on both sides and cooked to your liking, about 3 minutes per side for medium rare (135°F). Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes.

Add the halved tomatoes to a medium bowl. Add the remaining 1 Tbs. oil and 1 Tbs. basil. Season with salt and gently toss. Spoon the tomato mixture over the other vegetables. Slice the steak with the grain into 4- to 5-inch pieces, then slice thinly against the grain and arrange over the vegetables. Sprinkle with the scallions and sea salt, if using, and serve.

Summer Steak and Grilled Vegetable Salad from Pat LaFrieda

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