I love grilling in the summer! It gets me outdoors for at least a little while after being cooped up in the office all day. Grilling is also a pretty quick dinner solution which makes it ideal for a weeknight. I love a juicy grilled steak but in the heat of summer I don’t want the usual heavy accompaniments like mashed potatoes or mac and cheese. With this recipe I can have my steak and toss it in a fresh salad with tons of flavor.
First, I just want to discuss grilling with the ladies out there. Ladies, you CAN grill! It’s so easy. I challenge you to try doing so on your own and you’ll be surprised by how simple it really is. I was years into cooking before I tried to grill anything because I thought it was a guy’s thing and I wouldn’t be good at it. Once I tried it, I regretted not doing it sooner!
For this recipe, I start by peeling and cutting the sweet potatoes for roasting. This element of the salad takes the longest to cook so I do it first. Cut them into small bite sized chunks that make them easy to put in a salad without making people cut them up after they’ve been roasted. I toss them in a bit of cinnamon and olive oil to bring out the sweetness in the potatoes.
Don’t take them out of the oven until they look like this:
I love using locally grown sweet potatoes. They are a huge part of North Carolina agriculture and are quite the versatile vegetable. Once they are in the oven, you can quickly mix together this super easy balsamic vinaigrette. Let me tell you, this dressing MAKES this salad. You probably already have most of the ingredients and it’s 100% worth the effort to make it versus buying a bottled dressing.
Then you can start grilling the steak. You can season your steak however you’d like. For this recipe, I kept it super simple with a pre-made steak seasoning I bought. I grilled my steak till it was about medium-well. That’s my personal preference for this particular recipe, but you can cook it any way you’d like.
It’s very important to let steak rest before serving it or slicing it up for the salad. It needs to have time to re-absorb it’s own juices. Slicing it right off the grill can make it more dry and chewy. This is a perfect time to check the sweet potatoes, chop the tomatoes, and prep the fried onions for this recipe.
Finally, you can assemble the salad and serve! I love how colorful this salad is. It’s got crunchy and soft elements, sweet and savory, and a delicious steak to top it off. This is another healthy weeknight meal you can enjoy without feeling guilty. Let me know how you like it!
Steak Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Balsamic Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 2 sweet potatoes
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 8 oz. sirloin steaks
- 10 oz. spring mix
- 2 cups chopped tomatoes
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup French's crispy fried onions
- 1/2 cup bleu cheese crumbles
For the Balsamic Vinaigrette:
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 3/4 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425. Peel and chop sweet potatoes into small bite size chunks and toss in a bowl with olive oil and cinnamon. Spread on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for about 25-30 minutes until browned on the outside but not burnt.
- While potatoes are baking, whisk together all the vinaigrette ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate until you're ready to assemble the salad.
- Grill the steaks with your desired seasoning to desired doneness. I cooked mine medium-well. Once cooked, let them rest for at least 5 minute before slicing.
- Once the sweet potatoes are done, spread the french's crispy onions on a small baking sheet and bake in the same preheated oven for 3-5 minutes until they are browned and crispy but not burnt.
- Assemble the salad with spring mix, roasted sweet potatoes, chopped tomatoes, chopped pecans, bleu cheese crumbles, crispy onions, and sliced steak. Top with balsamic vinaigrette and serve immediately.
