Steak & Frites with Chimichurri Sauce

Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Paleo

Now this is a recipe that never fails. And you don't need a special occasion to cook steak. Truly, I give you permission to indulge in some flavorful red meat, that is of course, sourced from a farm you trust. (Factory farmed meat yields little to no nutritional value). I buy my meat from the farmer's market, or my local health conscience grocery store. Yes, grass-fed beef is more expensive, but we all know that healthy food is more costly (an unfortunate truth). But as I tell my clients, health is your greatest wealth!

JUMP TO RECIPE CARD

Serves 2

Ingredients

Frites

• 1 Japanese sweet potato, large

• 2 Tbsp avo oil

• course sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Chimichurri

• 1 C Italian parsley, packed

• 1/2 C olive oil

• 1/3 C red wine vinegar

• 1/3 C cilantro, packed

• 4-5 cloves garlic

• 1 tsp red pepper flakes

• 1 tsp cumin

• 1/2 tsp salt

Steak

• 1 lb flap meat steak, grass-fed organic

• 2 Tbsp avo oil

• garlic powder

• coarse sea salt, cracked

• freshly ground pepper

• 2 dollops salted butter (I like Kerry Gold)

Equipment

Cast iron skillet, 8" minimum

Method

For the Frites

Preheat oven to 375 deg.

Wash and pat potato very dry. It's ok to remove the skin, but not necessary (I prefer to leave it on because enjoying food in it's whole form is always best!)

Slice potato into 1/4" thick pieces and place in a bowl. Toss in 2 Tbsp avoid oil.

Spread evenly onto lined baking dish. If you have a baking rack, go ahead and use it, but it's not essential.

Bake for 20 min. Remove from oven and toss. Turn heat to 425 and roast for 15-20 more min. Keep your eye on them so they don't get overly crispy.

Add salt to taste and garnish with chopped parsley.

For the Chimichurri

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blitz until smooth.

For the Flap Steak

It's very important to buy quality proteins, not only to ensure the nutrient density of your food, but to ensure that you are buying from farmers who care about animal welfare and the sustainability of their land. I like to purchase my meat from either my health conscience grocer, or from a local farmer who sells his meat at the farmer's market.

Bring steak to room temperature, or let sit out for 15 min. If steak is not a consistent thickness, use a meat tenderizer to make an even thickness (for the purposes of cooking evenly). If you do not have a tenderizer, cover steak with wax or parchment paper, and gently pound with the bottom of a glass.

You will likely need to cut the steak in half in order to fit it in the pan. That's okay! I cook mine two pieces at a time. Since they cook so quickly, it's not a problem.

Flap meat is a thin cut. This particular piece was evenly thick, so I did not need to tenderize.

Brush each side lightly with avo oil. Then sprinkle both sides with garlic powder, sea salt, and freshly ground pepper.

Heat a cast iron skillet on medium-high heat. Add 2 tbsp avo oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan.

Place seasoned steak in hot pan. Add a dollop of butter to the top, cover, and cook for 2 1/2 min- 3 1/2 min per side. For the piece above, I only needed 2 1/2 min per side to get a medium rare cook (I highly recommend using a timer!)

Flip steak, add another dollop of butter, cover, and cook an additional 3 min (or longer depending on desired doneness).

Remove steak, add the final dollop of butter and let rest for 5 min.

Slice steak in thin slices, AGAINST (or penpendicular to) the grain. Plate with frites and chimichurri sauce.

Enjoy your hard work with a loved one who enjoys a nice, juicy steak. And please tag me on Instagram if you make this! @wholetosoulnutrition

In good health and food freedom,

Alyssa

NOTES:

It is easy to over-cook a thin cut of meat. Don't walk away from the pan, and use a timer. My advice is to judge how much time you cook it by how thick the meat is, and what level of doneness you're going for. A very thin cut of meat like this will become too tough if you cook it much past medium-rare to medium.

For medium rare, the temp of your steak should be 130-135. You can use an instant read thermometer to determine where you're at... the trick is to pull your steak about 5 degrees under where it should be, because it will continue to cook while you're resting it.