Third Di(sh)patch from the market: An all American Meal (steak, potatoes, and salad)
When I woke up yesterday and looked in the fridge, I felt as if my husband had cheated on me. Mango? Dannon yogurt? Store bought bread? What had gone wrong? The answer to the grocery shopping phenomenon was simple: "I was hungry," John explained. His hunger apparently could not wait for Sunday's DuPont Circle market. I'd better make sure I plan ahead a little more from now on.
With this in mind, I dashed off to the market with two good friends first thing this morning. As luck would have it, the weather was rainy and dreary again. So much for glorious sunshine. Asparagus, fresh flowers, and salad greens would have to be the light of my morning.
Most everything you could want at the Fresh Farms Market
daffodil sunshine
a bounty of greens
Wild Ramps (relative of the leek). . . these were foraged in the woods of West Virginia. This is a great example of something you will never find at the supermarket. They have tried to cultivate these conventionally, but never with any success. You can't tame a wild thang.
Asparagus-- my favorite. It will be in season from now until early June. A recipe for this treat is coming soon .
Fresh carrots. Oh! The thought of honey roasted carrots is making me hungry!
Beef. . . it's what's for dinner, tonight that is.
Before determining our evening's dinner, I had an interesting encounter with the farmer who actually did know how to prepare cardoons (See "Second Di(sh)patch. . ." from April 22nd) . She gave me some great advice on preparing them, but I think I will wait until fall to battle the cardoons again.
Hoping to appease my hungry husband, my plan for dinner tonight fell together quite simply: the all-American meal. The idea was that my husband (a definite carnivore and a skilled meat preparer) would broil delicious Delmonico steaks for us, while I would make a simple garden salad (with market finds, of course) and my favorite potatoes.
All American Dinner: Steak, potatoes, and salad
John's Saloon Steak (the saloon is also known as our garden apartment):
Total Cook Time: 8-10 minutes
- 1/2 Pound Delmonico steaks
- Worcestershire sauce
- steak seasoning
- garlic salt
Directions:
At least one hour prior to cooking, marinate the steaks in a combination of Worcestershire sauce, steak seasoning, and garlic salt.
After marinating, broil steaks for 3-4 minutes on each side. Cooks note: Grilling is preferred. . . the garden apartment allows for limited grilling, especially on rainy days!
Roasted potatoes:
Total Time:
Hands-on-- 5 minutes
Cook Time-- 45 minutes
Ingredients:
- 4-5 new red skin potatoes
- 2 small sweet potatoes
- 2 TBS olive oil
- 1 TBS herbs de Provence (you can substitute Italian herbs)
- 1 TBS garlic powder
- 1 TBS Kosher salt
- 1/2 small onion, diced
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil.
Dice all of the potatoes into 1 inch cubes. In a medium sized bowl, toss the potatoes with olive oil, herbs de Provence, garlic powder, and Kosher salt. Spread the potatoes onto the cookie sheet and place in the oven.
Turn potatoes every 10-15 minutes. During last ten minutes, add the diced onion. Cook until potatoes are nicely browned.
Garden Salad:
Spring is the perfect time for salad greens. I used a combination of gourmet (pansy flowers included) mesculun mix and spinach.
The farmer's market is also a great place to find artisan cheeses. Today I bought a fantastic blue cheese called "Blue Suede Moo."
Add carrots, onion, tomato, and dried tomatoes and. . . you guessed it: delicious.
The complete All-American Meal:
Steak! Now you are talking...and with TexJoy to boot. Can I get an Amen?!
Posted by:Tim | April 29, 2008 at 11:41 PM