With all the culinary debauchery we committed over the holidays, like many people, Sean and I have reverted back to lunch salads (we don’t always eat Indian food, folks!). I don’t eat red meat that often, but when I do, I love a good steak. The same goes for a good steak salad, which is easy to make at home if you have a high-quality cut of meat and a winning combination of ingredients. When done well, it can be a decadent, richly-layered homemade dish that rivals an executive lunch menu at the best steak house.

We picked up a premium piece of flank steak at Harlem Shambles, our local butcher, and marinated it overnight in a puree of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. If you’re not familiar with it, chipotles are basically smoked jalapenos and are often combined with an adobo sauce that is tomatoey and vinegary — it makes for a spellbinding combination of smoke and pop and heat, packing a huge punch. Sean grilled the chipotle-marinated flank steak on our stove-top griddle pan and immediately sliced it into thin fajita-like strips.

Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce are in most grocery stores, and a leading brand that I pick up is Goya (Photo Source: goya.com)

We knew the spicy, fattiness of the chipotle steak would need a creamy counterpart, with hints of sweetness — to me, flavor combinations are key to any dish in any cuisine. The hallmark of Indian cuisine is often the combination of sweet, spicy, sour, salty and pungent tastes, quite often simultaneously in one dish. So, to complete our restaurant-style steak salad, I pulled out some goat cheese for tangy creaminess, roasted cashews for texture and saltiness, plump grape tomatoes and red bell pepper for a fresh crunch, and topped the whole thing off with my go-to balsamic-honey vinaigrette. What a lovely late afternoon lunch on a Saturday at home.

Grilled Chipotle Steak Salad: Baby Spinach, Grape Tomatoes, Red Pepper, Goat Cheese, and Roasted Cashews

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 lb high quality flank steak, well-marbled
• 7 oz can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 8 cups baby spinach
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1 large red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
• 2/3 cup roasted, salted cashews
• 3/4 cup goat cheese, gently torn by hand into the salad bowl
• 4 T. olive oil
• 2 T. balsamic vinegar
• 2 t. honey
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Blend chipotles in a food processor or blender until smooth. Place uncooked flank steak into a large glass dish (I use Corning ware/Pyrex). Take a sharp knife and gently score the steak against the grain (draw your knife across the steak in smooth strokes). Pour in chipotle sauce and coat the meat evenly. Cover tightly with matching lid or plastic wrap and marinate in fridge overnight.
2. Heat grill to high heat (this is key to getting a nice sear on the outside of the steak) and when ready, place steak down for 3 minutes. Then flip and grill for another 3 minutes. This is perfect for medium-rare. Remove to platter or wooden cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing into long strips.
3. In a large glass bowl, combine baby spinach, tomatoes, bell pepper, cashews, and goat cheese. In a small bowl combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and honey and mix well. Add dressing to salad and toss well. Plate salad on four dinner plates and top with grilled chipotle steak.