Friends sometimes apologize to me for being strictly meat and potatoes lovers. No problem. I enjoy cooking both. Offering a flavorful finishing sauce proves key to pleasing everyone. I turn to the brilliance of Argentina's meat and robust condiment culture for inspiration.
Argentina's love of beef shows up in its traditional mixed grill feasts at parrillas (grill restaurants), in matambre arrollada, a stuffed beef roll, and minced fine in some of the best empanadas I've ever tasted.
All of the above are so much the better when doused with chimichurri, Argentina's go-to condiment. The uncooked sauce of herbs, garlic, olive oil and seasonings is this South American country's answer to Mexico's salsa.
In Argentina, chimichurri comes in green and red. In the U.S., green chimichurri, made with lots of fresh parsley, appears on menus more often than red as both marinade and finishing sauce.
When the herb garden is blanketed with snow, I give love to the red version, spiked with dried red chile, because this earthy cousin to the herbaceous green chimichurri tastes stupendous with nearly anything off the grill or out of a hot oven. Richer than Mexican tomato salsa, thanks to a generous dose of olive oil, this easy-to-make condiment keeps for a week or more.
You'll find yourself spooning red chimichurri generously over roasted vegetables, fluffy omelets and all manner of fish. I like it smeared over grilled bread before adding a smear of avocado or spoonfuls of sauteed mushrooms for an interesting toast. Brown some ground beef or turkey, and stir in the red chimichurri to tuck into a taco or top a baked potato. Dollop it onto macaroni and cheese, cooked pasta or use a dunk for grilled cheese sandwiches. You get the idea.
For the red chile in the chimichurri, I use powdered New Mexico chile in lieu of Argentina's aji molido. Smoked paprika is one of the world's great ingredients-it's great here too. Parsley is more common in the sauce, but I like the bright flavor of cilantro. Use either as they are readily available at most markets year-round.
Beef in Argentina is usually grass-fed-which has a much different flavor than our corn-fed beef. Grass-fed beef is now readily available in many large supermarkets. We don't have exactly the same steak cuts as you'll find in Argentina, but we have plenty of tender options for quick, hot cooking.
Skirt steak sports tremendous beef flavor-we like it for its juiciness-just be cautious not to cook it past medium or it can be tough.
Hangar steak and flank steak are lean, flavorful cuts that benefit from a garlicky, tangy marinade, high heat cooking and thin slicing. A great basis for a delicious spoonful of chimichurri.
For quick-cooking kebabs, I prefer lean and exceedingly tender beef tenderloin. Chose lean, trimmed sirloin for a beefier flavor. Baby bella mushrooms and sweet bell peppers take kindly to the chimichurri too.
Fast-roasted golden potatoes, such as Yukons, need only a little oil and salt to turn into a creamy, irresistible side dish. Pass plenty of red chimichurri for spooning on top.
Red chimichurri. Meat and potatoes never had it so good.
GRIDDLE-SEARED STEAK WITH SMOKY RED CHIMICHURRI SAUCE
Prep: 10 minutes / Cook: 5 minutes / Makes: 4 servings
Ask the butcher to trim the steak of all silver skin, so it cooks up beautifully tender.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon each: cracked black pepper, ground cumin, salt
1/4 teaspoon ground red chile, such as New Mexico chile, or cayenne if you like it hot
1 1/2 pounds trimmed beef skirt steak or hangar steak
Smoky red chimichurri sauce, see recipe
1. For the marinade, put oil, vinegar, garlic, pepper, cumin, salt and ground red chile into a small bowl. Stir until salt is dissolved. Put the steak into a shallow dish; smear on all sides with the marinade. Let stand 30 minutes at room temperature, or refrigerate up to 2 hours.
2. Heat a heavy cast-iron or nonstick griddle over medium-high heat until a drop of water sizzles furiously on contact. Add the steak in a single uncrowded layer. Cook on medium heat without turning, until the bottom is beautifully browned, about 3 minutes. Flip the steaks; cook until meat is nearly tender when pressed, 1 to 2 minutes more.
3. Transfer to a cutting board; let rest, 5 minutes. Cut the steaks into 3 -inch lengths; rotate the pieces so you can very thinly slice the meat across the grain. Serve immediately, drizzled with the smoky red chimichurri sauce.
Nutrition information per serving: 320 calories, 19 g fat, 7 g saturated fat, 118 mg cholesterol, 0 g carbohydrates, 0 g sugar, 38 g protein, 110 mg sodium, 0 g fiber
SMOKY RED CHIMICHURRI SAUCE
Prep: 10 minutes
Makes: about 3/4 cup
Take the bite out of raw garlic by poaching it first.
6 large cloves garlic, peeled
2 large shallots, very finely chopped, well-rinsed
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley or cilantro (or a combination)
1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika
1 teaspoon sweet ground red chile, such as New Mexico powder
Scant 3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1. Put garlic into a small microwave-safe dish. Cover with water. Microwave on high, 1 1/2 minutes. Drain; cool.
2. Crush garlic in a press or chop finely. Mix with remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Nutrition information per tablespoon: 88 calories, 9 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 2 g carbohydrates, 0 g sugar, 0 g protein, 154 mg sodium, 0 g fiber
BEEF KEBABS WITH PEPPERS, MUSHROOMS AND RED CHIMICHURRI
Prep: 25 minutes / Cook: 6 minutes / Makes: 6 kebabs
These kebabs cook quickly under a hot broiler. Also, try them cooked over a charcoal grill or on a medium-hot gas grill.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon each: cracked black pepper, ground cumin, salt
1/4 teaspoon ground red chile, such as New Mexico chile or cayenne if you like it hot
1 1/2 pounds boneless beef tenderloin or beef sirloin, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes (24 pieces)
12 whole baby bella mushrooms, wiped clean
2 red, orange or yellow bell peppers (or a combination), cored, cut into 11/2 inch pieces
Chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
Smoky red chimichurri sauce, for serving, see recipe
1. For the marinade, put oil, vinegar, garlic, pepper, cumin, salt and red chile into a small bowl. Stir until salt is dissolved.
2. For each skewer, alternately thread 4 beef pieces, 2 mushrooms and 3 pieces of bell pepper onto each skewer. Put the prepared skewers onto a foil-lined baking sheet.
3. Spoon the marinade over the kebabs on all sides. Let kebabs stand at room temperature, 30 minutes. Or, refrigerate covered up to several hours.
4. Position the broiler rack 6 inches from the heat source. Heat the broiler to high. Broil the kebabs, 6 inches from the heat source, 3 minutes. Gently flip the kebabs; broil until beef is medium-rare, about 3 minutes more.
5. Transfer skewers to a serving platter. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve hot with the red chimichurri sauce.
Nutrition information per kebab: 291 calories, 21 g fat, 8 g saturated fat, 70 mg cholesterol, 4 g carbohydrates, 2 g sugar, 21 g protein, 70 mg sodium, 1 g fiber
GOLDEN ROASTED POTATOES WITH CHIMICHURRI
Prep: 10 minutes / Cook: 25 minutes / Makes: 4 servings
4 large golden potatoes, 13/4 pounds total, scrubbed clean
2 tablespoons olive oil
Coarse (kosher) salt
Smoky red chimichurri sauce, see recipe
Chopped fresh cilantro, optional
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees convection or 400 degrees on conventional. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise; cut each half into 3 long 1-inch wide wedges. Transfer to a large rimmed baking sheet in a single, uncrowded layer. Pour oil over potatoes; turn to coat them on all sides with the oil. Sprinkle with a little salt.
2. Roast, turning potatoes once or twice, until tender when pierced with a fork and golden on the edges, 20 to 25 minutes.
3. Shortly before serving, heat the broiler to high. Broil potatoes, 6 inches from heat source, until potatoes puff slightly and brown nicely, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve hot with the red chimichurri sauce drizzled over all. Garnish with cilantro if desired.
Nutrition information per serving: 209 calories, 7 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 34 g carbohydrates, 2 g sugar, 4 g protein, 16 mg sodium, 4 g fiber