String Cheese, Meat and Potatoes

Last night we dined on grilled flank steak, asparagus and roasted potatoes. Quite the manly meat and potatoes meal; there was not a scrap of food left upon cleaning the dishes. I represent all the ladies out there who can throw down more food than their male counterpart. I usually don't cook a lot of red meat throughout the week. But when I'm craving protein, nothing satisfies the need like a good piece of steak (or burger).

I cut red potatoes into quarters, drizzled canola oil over the potatoes and sprinkled them with kosher salt, fresh ground pepper and Greek seasoning. Place the potatoes on a baking pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Be sure to turn the potatoes at least once while cooking, so they don't burn on one side.

Stewart loves asparagus, and these green spears were excellent grilled. With a little charred flavor, they also pack a light crunch. You can grill the asparagus alongside the steak as they are both cooked over high heat. I season mine in olive oil, kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. Keep an eye on the asparagus to ensure they don't burn. About every minute or so, rotate the asparagus on each side. Total cook time is about 5 minutes.

This is a simply delicious meal to prepare in half an hour, and it's full of flavor.

To pair with this well-balanced dinner, I'm thrilled to feature String Cheese on My Eats and Beats. You may remember me talking about String Cheese a few posts back; the lead cellist, Ali Haraburda, is a good friend of Stewart's from Michigan. She and Diana Ladio form the string duo of folk rock with roots in the Celtic music tradition. I've had the pleasure of seeing these two girls perform, and they are amazing. If you'd like to hear more or even want to purchase their music, check out String Cheese's MySpace page  http://www.myspace.com/stringcheesemusic .

More to come this week(end). I'll be gearing up for Independence Day eats!