Homer Simpson once said “You don't make friends with salad,” and he wasn’t entirely wrong.
Everybody loves pretty desserts and homey main courses, but salad has a tendency to be... well... salad, especially when it's the middle of January in Canada and there isn't all that much to get excited about in the produce section.
So when Casey from Kitchen Play asked me if I’d like to participate in the very first all-Canadian Progressive Dinner event, there was a brief flash of panic when I realised that I’d been assigned the salad course.
Lucky for me, the sponsor for our Progressive Dinner turned out to be Canadian Beef. If there’s one thing that can rescue a salad from being boring, it’s beef.
That’s because a serving of lean beef is a great source of protein and essential nutrients like iron, zinc, vitamin D and riboflavin, which means it can turn just about any salad into a healthy and satisfying main course. Not to mention it tastes good, too.
When planning out my salad, I decided to use a pub and steakhouse classic as my inspiration – the Black and Blue Salad, a blend of greens topped with slices of peppered steak and crumbled blue cheese.
Using that basic combination as my starting point, I decided to really play up the flavours and textures to make the salad a little more special.
To start, I added a handful of walnuts glazed with a sweet-and-sour balsamic caramel for crunch. Then, I replaced the usual spring mix with a more assertive blend of greens including bitter radicchio and peppery baby arugula.
Last of all, I added an extra dose of blue cheese by whisking up a tangy buttermilk and blue cheese dressing to replace the usual vinaigrette dressing.
Now that we’ve covered everything else that’s going into the salad, let's talk beef for a moment, shall we? After looking over the different cuts of steak on the Canadian Beef website, I decided to use flank steak, since it’s lean, easy to prepare and relatively inexpensive.
Normally classified as a marinating steak, flank steak can do double-duty as a grilling steak so long as it’s cooked to no more than medium-rare and then sliced very thinly across the grain.
Since I’d already layered plenty of flavours into the salad, I opted for nothing more than a generous sprinkling of salt and cracked black peppercorns before popping the steak under a hot broiler for a few minutes.
If you can’t find flank steak (or if you’re not a fan), you can easily substitute your favourite boneless grilling steak.
This salad is also a great way to give new life to leftovers – strips of leftover steak or even thin slices of leftover roast beef will do the trick.
Even though there are many different components to this salad, it's not nearly as time-consuming as it might seem.
Most of the salad, including the blue cheese dressing and candied walnuts, can be made several days in advance and assembled at the last minute (in fact, I find the dressing tastes best after a day or two, once the flavours have mellowed into creamy, tangy, blue-cheesy unison).
Then, on the day of, all you'll need is 20 minutes to cook the steak and toss the greens.
Can't make friends with salad, Homer? Perhaps you should introduce them to this one.
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Disclosure: This salad was created for Kitchen Play’s February 2011 Progressive Dinner, sponsored by Canadian Beef. Thanks for supporting the brands that keep the Crumb test kitchen stocked! All opinions, as always, are entirely my own.
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Black-and-Blue Flank Steak Salad
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
This salad does have lots of different elements, but it's well worth the effort... especially since both the honey-balsamic walnuts and the tangy blue cheese dressing can be prepared several days ahead of time, leaving you with a few minutes of work on the actual day of.
Ingredients
Honey-Balsamic Walnuts:
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- Pinch cayenne
- 1 ¼ cup walnut halves
Buttermilk Blue Cheese Dressing:
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- ¼ cup full-fat sour cream
- 1 tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 tsp white vinegar
- ⅓ cup creamy blue cheese (like Gorgonzola or Blue d'Auvergnes)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Peppered Flank Steak:
- 1 lb flank steak, about 1-inch thick
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp cracked peppercorns
Salad Mix:
- 1 small head radicchio
- 2 Belgian endives
- 2 cups escarole or frisee
- 4 cups baby arugula
- 4 cups Bibb or Boston lettuce
- ½ cup crumbled blue cheese
Instructions
Make the Honey-Balsamic Walnuts:
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In a small skillet set over medium heat, stir together sugar, honey, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and cayenne until sugar is dissolved. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, for 2-3 minutes or until the syrup begins to bubble and thicken.
- Stir in walnuts. Cook, stirring constantly, for 5-6 minutes or until the walnuts are coated with a thick and sticky glaze.
- Turn out onto the lined baking sheet. Using a silicone spatula, spread the walnuts out into a single layer, separating into individual pieces as much as possible. Let cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container lined with paper towel. Walnuts can be prepared up to three days in advance.
Prepare the Dressing:
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together buttermilk, sour cream, mayonnaise and vinegar until combined. Crumble blue cheese into the bowl, and stir until blue cheese is incorporated. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to use, preferably for at least 24 hours. Dressing can be made up to three days in advance.
Broil the Steak:
- Preheat the broiler (or grill). Pat the flank steak dry using paper towel. Sprinkle both sides with salt, then press in the cracked peppercorns to make a crust. Transfer to a broiler pan and place under the preheated broiler to cook for 4-5 minutes per side, until cooked to medium-rare or a meat thermometer registers an internal temperature of 165F. Tent with aluminium foil and set aside to rest for 5 minutes.
Assemble the Salads:
- While the steak is resting, prepare the salad greens. Tear radicchio leaves into bite sized pieces, discarding the core. Strip the endive leaves off the core, and chop into inch-long pieces; discard core. Combine radicchio, endive and the remaining greens in a large bowl.
- To assemble, toss salad greens with 1 cup of blue cheese dressing until evenly coated. Divide the greens across six small salad plates (or four large dinner plates). Top each salad with a scattering of honey-balsamic walnuts and crumbled blue cheese.
- Cut flank steak into thin slices across the grain. Arrange a few slices onto the top of each salad. Serve immediately.
Notes
Note: Steak can also be prepared on the grill in warmer weather. Simply cook the steak on a preheated gas or charcoal grill for 4-5 minutes per side for medium rare, then proceed as usual.
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Category: Main
aidan benbow says
I would like to give this a try (more the eating than the making as it seems a little complicated and I'm not a great chef!).
★★★
Kevin says
That is one nice steak salad!
thedabble says
Makes my mouth water! It's almost the recipe for my favorite salad from my favorite microbrewery (Lafayette Brewing Company)-the Black & Blue Caesar. I'm going to have to make this...probably tonight.
Skinnypeopledo says
This looks great! Just started WW so I would have to calculate the points!
Lynn @ I'll Have What She's Having says
That's probably one of my favourite Simpsons quote. I think in this case, even Homer would agree that salad can be very good!
Lawyer Loves Lunch says
That steak looks perfect! You know I'm not a huge salad fan but this looks so good, even I'd eat it! :)
C Thornton says
I know cannot get this meal out of my head! It's all I want for dinner!
Mary says
This was a lovely meal. Your steak sounds particularly good. I'm new to your blog and have spent some time browsing through your earlier entries. I really like the food and recipes you feature here. I'll definitely be back. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary
Sippity Sup says
You've inspired me. I think I'll do a flank steak salad this week too! GREG
Brie: Le Grand Fromage says
i usually don't eat salad b/c it's like eating a head of lettuce, which is all water and no flavor, and i do not use salad dressing either - but this, this is a salad i can enjoy! i love the name, too. great job!
Isabelle says
Thanks for the lovely feedback, everyone.
Oh, and Tina... you totally caught me on those candied walnuts. :) I made a much smaller portion of the salad for my test runs, which left me with plenty of walnuts to munch on. They're stupidly addictive.
Jenny @ Communal Table says
This salad looks so fresh and inviting! I want one.
But I agree with Tina on the walnuts. I'd eat them all before it was time to plate the salad. Love it!
Choosy Beggar Tina says
Hey, I totally made friends with salad and I think this one and I would be besties. So give us a confession...how many of those candied walnuts did you eat in the time that the steak was broiling? Honey balsamic nuts...mmm...I don't know if there would be any left for my meal!
Joy (The Herbed Kitchen) says
I'm not usually much of a steak fan (leftover from my vegetarian days) but I would happily eat this, I like your use of blue cheese too.
Catherine Deveault says
This looks quite wonderful, the steak, the blue cheese and those walnuts! I'll have to try that! Thanks for sharing!
Joy says
Now that's a drool-worthy salad worth saving your best appetite for! I like the addition of honey balsamic walnuts. :)
amandalaird says
I must eat this, post haste!
Heather Travis says
wow! what great photography Isabelle! this salad looks amazing - I can't wait to try it. thank you:)
Pretend Chef says
Just wanted to also inform you of a Culinary Smackdown Battle I am hosting. If interested please check it out: https://imapretendchef.blogspot.com/2011/01/culinary-smackdown-battle-hand-held.html
Pretend Chef says
Every component of this salad has me salivating! Yummy! How can you go wrong with steak?
Neil @ Communal Table says
This looks great. I also love blue cheese and steak, and I think the candied nuts would definitely add another great layer of flavour.
Mardi @eatlivetravelwrite says
This looks right up my alley :-) Flank steak and blue cheese is a great combination - I will definitely add this to my roster. Love the idea of a hearty steak like this!