Steak Salad with Green Chile Chimichurri Dressing

There was a big Hatch green chile event going on at Crest yesterday. There were at least three huge grills outside and crews were busy roasting the green chiles over an open flame. I got suckered into a big display in the produce section: I got almost two pounds of fresh roasted green chiles for only $2! What a deal. I already used some of the chiles in two recipes today, and bagged up the rest to freeze. Green chiles are always great to have stored in your kitchen, whether they’re canned or not.

I also bought some green chile jack cheese, and a pack of four MASSIVE green chile stuffed sausages. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with the sausages, but I’m excited to have them anyway.

Before knowing about the green chile event, I already had plans to make a steak salad with a chimichurri dressing. Chimichurri is usually served with steak, and I like to call the Mexican version of pesto. It is usually composed of finely chopped cilantro, parsley, garlic, and lime juice with oil to make it smooth. With all the green chiles I had, I figured I’d just make it more like a salsa verde.

It was probably my finest moment in the kitchen. The chimichurri was slightly spicy and full of flavor. It paired perfectly with the steak. Since this dressing is a bit thick, I recommend tossing the salad greens with oil, salt and pepper before topping. That way the greens are perfectly dressed in case the chimichurri just sticks to the toppings.

One other weird ingredient I had to throw in this salad: quail eggs. A coworker got them from a donkey milk farm while on a shoot, and offered them to me. I knew I could just soft boil them (less than 2 minutes in boiling water!) and toss them on the salad for a creamy, yolky addition. It worked out spectacularly.

Some other good additions to this salad: grilled onion & asparagus. Asparagus doesn’t take very long in the grill, but the onions do take some time to bring out their sweetness and tenderness. Use your best judgement to figure out when to pull them.

The best steak to use for steak salads, I’ve found, is flank steak. It’s a cheap cut of meat that takes no time to prepare, and you can cut it into thin strips easily. You really need to make sure your steak strips are thin, so you don’t choke while eating them in a salad! Steak is the number one most choked on food, don’t you know.

Anyway, let’s get away from the morbidness for a second. This salad is an excellent change of pace from my normal grilled chicken topped salads. In fact, I’ve never made a salad with steak before. I’m kicking myself now that it’s taken this long to try it!

Step-By-Step Instructions

Brush a grill pan with one tablespoon oil. Add onion and asparagus and grill until tender and slightly charred, about 4-5 minutes. Remove veggies to a plate.

Rub one tablespoon of oil all over flank steak. Season with salt and pepper. Brush grill pan with remaining oil. Place steak on grill and grill 3-5 minutes per side. Remove to a plate to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Slice, against the grain, into three strips.

Make the dressing: place cilantro, garlic, vinegar, green chiles, red chile flakes, lime juice, salt and pepper in a food processor. Pulse until almost smooth. Pour in olive oil and continue pulsing until smooth.

Make the salad: top greens with steak, avocado slices, grilled vegetables, and eggs. Drizzle dressing over steak and serve the rest on the side.