There's just something about a potluck that excites me. And not the kind that would have excited young(er)-hippie-girli-90's me...well...not entirely true. There was never really a time when I didn't like food. But there was a time when Pot Luck would have taken on an entirely different meaning. Where food would have been MORE than welcome afterward, actually. Anyway.
Our theme this week over at I Heart Cooking Clubs is POTLUCK. I have had this recipe...among many others...marked since I first purchased Nigella Express. Finally I decided I was making it. That's something I love about certain cooking clubs/memes/events. They push me to make things I've been meaning to make but have just been too otherwise detained to actually get around to.
Since I am already running on at the mouth...can I just ask a question that often weighs heavy on my mind? What reason under the stars could I ever have had to dislike sweet potatoes? They are gorgeous, delicious, filling little powerhouses! I suppose I should just be glad that I've seen the light. And they're pretty without any makeup at all. I like 'em au naturale...with a little moisturizer.
Nigella's Steak Slice w/ Lemon and Thyme
Marinate your meat after you cook it, with this simple steak recipe.
by
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Keywords: grill entree dairy-free nut-free soy-free beef lemons Fathers Day July 4th
Ingredients (serves 4)
- 1 (1.25 pound) rump steak, 1" thick (see notes)
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (from ~5 stalks)
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled & smashed
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
If there is excess fat around the edges of your steak, trim it off now.
Preheat a grill (or a grill pan) to medium high.
Brush the steak with a little olive or vegetable oil to prevent it from sticking to the grill or pan.
Place on hot grill (or pan) and cook for 3 minutes per side, plus 1 minute each side turned again (for grill marks) for desirably rare meat (the lemon in the post hoc marinade "cooks" it a little more). If you like it more done, leave it on the grill longer or pop the pan into the oven until it reaches the desired temperature.
While the steak is cooking, place the thyme leaves, garlic, oil, lemon zest, juice, salt and pepper in a wide shallow dish.
As soon as you remove the steak from the grill (or pan), place it in the dish of marinde for 4 minutes per side. Remove it to a cutting board and slice thinly on the diagonal.
note:
If you can't find any rump steaks, you can buy a rump roast and cut off a 1" thick slice. Save the remainder to roast, or slice it all to multiply this recipe.
-slightly adapted from Nigella Express
It wound up that this was not my favorite cut of meat. Though Nigella states that the purpose of marinating the meat after cooking it was to keep the meat tender, this steak was quite chewy. I think a bit of tenderizing before cooking would go a long way. I do love the flavor and moistness lent by the post-cooking marinade, though. Try it with your favorite type of steak (doesn't have to be a rump steak)!
While the meat was cooking (okay, I started it way before), I threw some washed, pricked sweet potatoes into the oven and roasted at 350° F for just under an hour. Aren't they beauties?Serve up the sliced steak with a bit of the marinade drizzled over the top, and a sweet potato on the side.
