Charred Romaine & Grilled Flank Steak Salad with Orange Shallot Vinaigrette

Every now & then (more often than not) we like to really freak my Father-in-law out with some of the food we decide to make for birthdays, holidays & at the cottage. Take for instance, this past weekend when I made Cauliflower "Breadsticks". Other than the fact that I burned them, they really weren't that bad. He would have to disagree & made sure I knew it! ;)

For last fall's birthdays, my sister-in-law made a grilled caesar salad that was so delicious I went back for seconds. However, I had completely forgotten about it until I was reading through this summer's Clean Eating special issue "Cook in Season." They feature this recipe & while it's not the quickest, it totally fits in with the fix, so here we go!

Recipe

Serves 4

Potatoes & Tomatoes

• 8 Fingerling Potatoes, scrubbed & halved lengthwise
• Olive Oil Spray
• 1/2 tsp Dried Oregano
• Salt & Pepper, to taste
• 2 cups Grape Tomatoes, halved lengthwise

Dressing

• 1 large Orange, zest & juice
• 1 Shallot, minced
• 2 Tbsp White Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 tsp Raw Honey
• 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
• 1 Tbsp Fresh Basil, chopped

Steak & Romaine

• 1 lb Flank Steak, trimmed of fat
• 2 Hearts of Romaine
• 1/4 cup Walnut Pieces
• 1/2 cup Crumbled Goat Cheese

Directions

• Preheat oven to 425*. Mist potatoes with cooking spray & season with oregano, salt & pepper. Arrange potatoes cut-side down on 1 side of a large baking sheet & roast for 10 minutes.
• Add tomatoes to second side of sheet, mist with cooking spray& season with salt & pepper. Return sheet to oven & roast 25 minutes more, until potatoes are fork-tender & golden & tomatoes are lightly charred & shriveled. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, prepare vinaigrette: Whisk together orange zest & juice, shallot, vinegar, oil, honey, mustard & basil. Season with salt & pepper.
• Heat grill to medium-high  lightly oil grate. Mist steak with cooking spray & season with salt & pepper. Grill steak to desired doneness; 4-6 minutes per side for medium-rare or 6-8 minutes per side for medium. Transfer to a cutting board or plate & cover loosely with foil to rest. Keep grill on medium-high.
• Trim a small piece from root end of romaine, keeping leaves attached to root, then cut romaine in half lengthwise. Brush or toss romaine with about half of vinaigrette. Add romaine grill, cut-sides down, turning occasionally, until charred on all sides; about 4 minutes.
• Thinly slice steak across the grain. Arrange 1 romaine heart half on each serving plate, cut-sides up & top with steak, potatoes & tomatoes. Drizzle with remaining dressing & garnish with walnuts & goat cheese.
• Enjoy!

21DF: 1 Red, 1.5 Green, 1 Yellow, 1 Orange, 1 Blue