BBQ for one

Despite my love of cooking, I have never really used a BBQ. I find them intimidating and it doesn't help that the one we have access to is in the middle of the courtyard of our building, where everyone can watch me singe my eyebrows. This weekend Chris went away and I was craving a nice steak. I walked down to our butcher and after explaining that I didn't want something I'd have to marinate I left with a beautiful 1.5 lb piece of Flat Iron steak and the goal of finally tackling the BBQ.

Flat Iron steaks are great because they're not super expensive but they're extremely tender and don't require any marinating. In the past we've splurged on dry-aged rib-eye but at $40 or more for two steaks, it's not something we like to do often-- and it's really not necessary. All I did was season the steak with salt and pepper, grill it for 4 minutes on each side on med-high, and let it rest for 10 minutes and it turned out a perfect rare. Maybe a little closer to medium-rare, but pretty close. Make sure that when you cut your meat you always cut it against the grain. This is really important because the way you cut your meat will decide if you serve your guests chewy meat or a juicy and tender steak.

I made a delicious greek salad to go along with my steak and sweet potato fries. And for those of you who think I ate all the steak at once...I didn't. I had lots of leftovers and they were delicious even two days later.

Here is the greek salad recipe (from Cooks Illustrated):

Vinaigrette

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice from 1 lemon
2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 medium clove garlic, pressed through garlic press or minced (about 1 teaspoon)
6 tablespoons olive oil

Salad

1/2 medium red onion, sliced thin (about 3/4 cup)
1 medium cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices (about 2 cups)
2 hearts romaine lettuce, washed, dried thoroughly, and torn into 1 1/2-inch-pieces (about 8 cups)
2 large vine-ripened tomatoes (10 ounces total), each tomato cored, seeded, and cut into 12 wedges
1/4 cup loosely packed torn fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup loosely packed torn fresh mint leaves
6 ounces jarred roasted red bell pepper, cut into 1/2 by 2-inch strips (about 1 cup)
20 large kalamata olives, each olive pitted and quartered lengthwise
5 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (1 cup)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Whisk vinaigrette ingredients in large bowl until combined. Add onion and cucumber and toss; let stand to blend flavors, about 20 minutes.2. Add romaine, tomatoes, parsley, mint, and peppers to bowl with onions and cucumbers; toss to coat with dressing.3. Transfer salad to wide, shallow serving bowl or platter; sprinkle olives and feta over salad. Serve immediately.

Some pics for your viewing pleasure: