This Cook Smarts favorite, which last appeared in 2020, is a classic summer meal. Whether you are cooking the meal indoors or using an outdoor grill, just be sure to give yourself some extra time since you'll be cooking a double batch of vegetables to use later in the week. Smarts #1: The tangy notes of the charred green onion vinaigrette balance the richness of the meat. You can sear the green onions ahead of time and make the vinaigrette in advance, or sear them alongside the rest of the vegetables and make the vinaigrette while the steak rests. Smarts #2: We added grilled flatbread to help round out this meal, but feel free to skip it if you prefer.
Steak, ribeye or New York Strip - 1 1/4 lbs
(about 1" thick)
Flatbread, large round - 1
(or use pita or naan)
Choose Cooking Method
Prep
Make vinaigrette - (Note: If prepping right before cooking, get grill heating before continuing with prep. You can skip this prep step and wait to char green onions on the grill with the steak and vegetables.) Heat a skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat. If green onions won’t easily fit in the pan, chop them into large pieces to fit. Brush pan with some oil and then sear green onions on all sides until lightly charred, 5 to 7 minutes total. Combine charred green onions, capers, mustard, vinegar, and olive oil. Blend with an immersion blender (or in a standing blender) until smooth. If the vinaigrette is too thick to easily blend or pour, add a splash of water and continue to blend until smooth. Season with some salt and pepper. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
Bell peppers / Zucchini / Eggplant - (This makes enough for two nights.) Core red peppers and slice in half. Slice the zucchini and eggplant into 1/2” / 1.25 cm thick slices. (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)
Steak - Tenderize with a fork. Season generously with some salt and pepper. (A good amount of seasoning is the key to a flavorful steak!) (Can be done 1 day ahead)
Prepare steak and vegetables for grill - Sprinkle steak with some more salt and pepper. Try to remove it from the fridge ~30 minutes before grilling. Spread vegetables out in a single layer on a sheet pan and brush with some cooking oil. Season with some salt and pepper.
Flatbread - Depending on what type of flatbread you are using, you can leave it whole or cut it into wedges or slices (whichever is easiest for serving). Just make sure the slices are the right size to easily fit on the grill.
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Heat grill to 500F / 260C, keeping one part of the grill with direct heat and one part with indirect heat. Clean grates and brush with some cooking oil.
Sear steak for ~4 minutes on each side and vegetables for 3 to 4 minutes on each side over direct heat with the lid closed. Vegetables may be tender and ready to move off the grill at this point, but if they need a bit longer, move them to indirect heat to continue cooking until tender. Move steak to indirect heat and continue cooking until it reaches desired level of doneness. Medium-rare: 130F / 54C degrees (~3 minutes); Medium: 140F / 60C degrees (~6 minutes); Well-done: 160F / 71C degrees (~10 minutes).
Remove steak from grill and let it rest, covered, for 10 minutes.
Sear flatbread on all sides over direct heat just until it has grill marks and is lightly toasted, 3 to 4 minutes total.
If you did not already make vinaigrette as part of your prep, follow instructions in prep step #1 to make vinaigrette.
Reserve 1 1/2 Tbsp / 22mL of vinaigrette for Thursday's meal. (This is for 4 servings; adjust if customizing.)
Set half the vegetables aside to serve with Thursday’s meal. (If you want to get ahead, you can chop the vegetables for Thursday into smaller pieces that will easily fit on top of a sandwich.)
Serve steak and tonight’s portion of vegetables with green onion vinaigrette for spooning over top. Enjoy with flatbread on the side.
Prep
Make vinaigrette - (Note: If prepping right before cooking, get oven heating before continuing with prep. You can skip this prep step and char green onions on the stove after the steak.) Heat a skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat. If green onions won’t easily fit in the pan, chop them into large pieces to fit. Brush pan with some oil and then sear green onions on all sides until lightly charred, 5 to 7 minutes total. Combine charred green onions, capers, mustard, vinegar, and olive oil. Blend with an immersion blender (or in a standing blender) until smooth. If the vinaigrette is too thick to easily blend or pour, add a splash of water and continue to blend until smooth. Season with some salt and pepper. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
Bell peppers / Zucchini / Eggplant - (This makes enough for two nights.) Core red peppers and slice in half. Slice the zucchini and eggplant into 1/2” / 1.25 cm thick slices. (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)
Steak - Tenderize with a fork. Season generously with some salt and pepper. (A good amount of seasoning is the key to a flavorful steak!) (Can be done 1 day ahead)
Prepare steak and vegetables for cooking - Sprinkle steak with some more salt and pepper. Try to remove it from the fridge ~30 minutes before cooking. Spread vegetables out in a single layer on a sheet pan and brush with some cooking oil. Season with some salt and pepper.
Flatbread - If you want to warm the flatbread in a toaster, cut it into wedges or slices that will fit in the toaster. (Alternatively, you can leave it whole and toast it in the oven just before serving.)
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Transfer sheet pan with vegetables to heated oven and cook, turning halfway through cooking, until vegetables are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
Heat a grill pan or large skillet over medium-high heat and brush with some cooking oil. Place steak on heated pan and sear for ~4 minutes on each side. Transfer steak to sheet pan with vegetables and finish cooking in the oven. (This should be ~4 minutes for medium-rare; ~7 minutes for medium; and 10 minutes for well-done.) Steak and vegetables should finish cooking at about the same time, but remove each whenever ready.
Let steak rest, covered, for 10 minutes.
Toast flatbread.
If you did not already make vinaigrette as part of your prep, follow instructions in prep step #1 to make vinaigrette.
Reserve 1 1/2 Tbsp / 22mL of vinaigrette for Thursday's meal. (This is for 4 servings; adjust if customizing.)
Set half the vegetables aside to serve with Thursday’s meal. (If you want to get ahead, you can chop the vegetables for Thursday into smaller pieces that will easily fit on top of a sandwich.)
Serve steak and tonight’s portion of vegetables with green onion vinaigrette for spooning over top. Enjoy with flatbread on the side.