Marinated Flank Steak With Chimichurri and Foil Packet Grill Potatoes
An all in one grilled steak and potatoes meal with vibrant herbal Argentinian sauce
Equipment
- 1 Grill
- 1 Chef Knife
- 1 Boning or paring knife Any knife with a thin, sharp blade
- 1 Blender
- 1 probe thermometer preferably digital
- 6 feet Aluminum foil
- 1 Offset spatula
- 1 tongs
- 1 Sheet pan to transfer packet to grill, or to roast potatoes in oven if preferred
- 1 Microplane zester a standard zester can be used.
- 1 Plastic wrap a length large enough to rest on top of the flank steak
Ingredients
- 1¾ lb. choice flank steak well marbled
Marinade
- 1 oz. garlic cloves, peeled by weight, about 4 large cloves
- 4 oz. yellow onion, peeled and rough chopped one inch chunks, about half of a large onion
- 1 oz. green onion, stems removed, rough chopped approximately 4 each
- 1 oz. serrano chilis, stemmed and rough chopped
- ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce make sure to shake the bottle
- 2 tbsp. fresh oregano, picked if using dried, 3 tspn.
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
Packet Potatoes
- 1¾ lb. yukon gold potatoes any kind will be ok, a yellow and waxy kind will have a sweeter flavor, and buttery texture
- 4 tbsp. olive oil extra virgin is best for flavor
- 2 tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. black pepper
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme if using dry, 2 tsp.
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary if using dry, 1 tsp.
Chimichurri
- 2 oz. fresh parsley, only the thickest stems removed preferably flat leaf, curly is also ok
- ¼ oz. fresh oregano, picked, (about 1 tbsp.) 2 tsp. if using dry
- 3 lg. cloves fresh garlic, peeled
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp. lemon zest roughly the zest from one small lemon
- 4 tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 1½ tsp. salt
Instructions
Flank steak preparation
- Inspect meat for connective tissue and trim away,
Marinade
- Peel and roughly chop all vegetables.
- Place all ingredients in blender, process until pureed.
- Pour about ⅓ of the batch into a storage container large enough to contain the steak and marinade.
- Place the flank into the container, cover with remaining marinade.
- Cover the surface of the marinade with plastic.
- Allow to marinate under refrigeration for at least 4 hours, overnight optimal, but can go for as long as 16 hours.
Potatoes
- Begin heating grill on medium heat, to maintain heat at approximately 350 degrees, (if you would like to do these in the oven, you can heat it to 350 at this time).
- Chop potatoes into 1 inch size chunks.
- Toss with olive oil, whole garlic cloves, and salt and pepper to coat evenly. (if using dry herbs, toss them through with everything at this time)
- Lay approximately 3 feet of aluminum foil out flat.
- Lay potatoes in middle of foil in a single flat layer, with fresh herbs in the middle.
- Fold foil over from the edges and crimp to seal.
- Use the rest of the foil to seal the packet up tightly.
- Using a sheet pan and offset spatula to transfer, carefully place on upper rack of grill, or alternately, a cool spot on the grill,(you can forego the grill process altogether and lay flat on a pan in a 350 degree oven).
- Cook for thirty minutes before removing from grill.
Chimichurri
- Gather and process all ingredients.
- When processing the parsley, you needn't pick each leaf, just get rid of the thickest stems.
- Place all ingredients in blender and blend until pureed.
Grilling Flank Steak
- Remove from refrigerator, allow to warm up at room temp for at least 30 minutes.
- Remove excess marinade, apply salt and pepper to entire surface.
- Place on hot grill.
- Grill on each side, rotating to create even charring and grill marks, about 8 to 10 minutes per side.
- Remove from grill when the temp is reading 120 degrees in the thickest part of the meat for medium rare. (suggested)
- Allow to rest for 15 minutes, slice ½ inch slices against the grain.
Plating
- Place a portion of potatoes in middle of plate.
- Fan slices of steak around, facing front.
- Sauce with chimichurri generously, to taste.
- Lean vegetable garnish of choosing against the potatoes.
Notes
This is a great multi-purpose kind of dish. The marinade is useful for chicken, pork, lamb, even shrimp. The potatoes are a suitable side dish for just about anything, and the chimichurri is a perfect sauce for anything that could benefit from a fresh, garlicky, herbaceous little zip.