New Recipe Night - Green Bean and Potato Salad with Skirt Steak

I'm still cooking and John actually got to eat this dinner fresh out of the oven instead of warmed up.

Green Bean and Potato Salad with Skirt Steak

1 1/4 lbs skirt steak 

kosher salt

3/4 lb thin green beans, trimmed

1 large shallot, diced

1 Tbsp dijon mustard

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp olive oil

2 lbs small Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and halved

fresh ground black pepper

1/3 cup black olives, rinsed and halved

2 Tbsp rough chopped parsley

2 Tbsp chopped chives

2 handfuls arugula

*** I substituted whatever steak I had in the freezer.  I also used Gnocci instead of potatoes***

Quick boil green beans for 3 mins.  Set aside to cool. In a small bowl combine shallot, mustard, vinegar and pinch of salt.  Set aside and let rest for 5-10 minutes, then whisk in 1/2 cup olive oil.  Meanwhile boil potatoes until fork tender, transfer to a large bowl and top with half vinaigrette.  Gently fold together and set aside.

Season steak with salt and pepper.  Heat skillet until very hot, add olive oil and place beef in pan without overlapping.  Cook for 2-3 minutes or until nicely browned.  Turn and cook another 2-3 minutes until desired doneness.  Transfer to cutting board and let rest for 5-10 minutes.

Add green beans, olives, parsley, chives to the potatoes.  Drizzle half of remaining vinaigrette on top and gently fold.  Distribute steak on plates and spoon bean and potato mixture around it.  Scatter the arugula on top and drizzle with remaining vinaigrette.

*** While the steak was resting I added the gnocchi to the pan and sautéed gently for 5-10 minutes until puffed and golden.  Added it to the green bean mixture.***

For purposes of reheating, it might be better to keep the gnocchi separate so it can be warmed up and then added to the salad later.

This was very tasty.  Definitely worth keeping!  Yummy!

New Recipe Night - Unqualified Success Again!

Another fabulously successful New Recipe Night... either I'm turning into a Top Chef or I'm just getting better at choosing my recipes!  What was so fun about this recipe is that it combined 2 things I've never really had before... asparagus and gnocchi!

Skillet Gnocchi with Shrimp and Asparagus

1 Tbsp + 2 tsps olive oil

 1 - 16oz package of shelf stable gnocchi

1/2 cup sliced shallots

1 bunch asparagus (about 1 pound), trimmed and cut into thirds

3/4 cup chicken broth

1 pound raw shrimp

1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

pinch of salt

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1.  Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add gnocchi and cook, stirring often, until plumped and golden in spots, 6 to 10 minutes.  Transfer to a bowl.

2.  Add the remaining 2 tsp oil and shallots to pan; cook over med heat until beginning to brown, 1 to 2 minutes.  Stir in asparagus and broth.  Cover and cook until the asparagus is barely tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Add shrimp, pepper and salt; cover and simmer until the shrimp is pink and just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes more.

3.  Return the gnocchi to the skillet along with lemon juice and cook, stirring until heated through, about 2 minutes.  Remove from the heat, sprinkle with cheese, cover and let stand until the cheese is melted, about 2 minutes.

This was delicious!  Brenna loved it.  Zack ate the shrimp, tried the gnocchi - but didn't like the texture and wouldn't even let the asparagus on his plate.  Despite that... home run!!!