Get Your Grill On!

I don't usually go perusing Rachael Ray's recipes (what can I say, her recipes just aren't my style), but when I heard she'd featured grilled sweet potato wedges in August's issue, I had to see for myself.

Now THIS is something I can get into. Grilled flank steak with chimichurri and grilled sweet potato wedges - nothing looks more enticing than grill marks on vegetables! The steak is sliced extra thin and cooked to medium-rare perfection, just how I like it.

If you've never had chimichurri, it's a South American sauce made typically of parsley, garlic, olive oil and red wine vinegar, but sometimes it contains more herbs. It's used for marinating or topping off steaks and other foods. My Argentinian aunt passed her famous recipe on to my mother and she'd make it every now and then to pair with beef empanadas or to top my dad's famous filet mignon. She'd make a big batch and keep it in the fridge for the appropriate foods.

This seems like the perfect end of summer meal. Everything cooks on the grill, even those sweet taters! Just sit back and let the grill do the work while you sip on a Pimm's cup and watch the summer sun set in the cool afternoon breeze.

Grilled Flank Steak with
Chimichurri and Sweet Potato Wedges

Ingredients:

• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 bunch parsley
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped red onion
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons mustard seeds, toasted
• Salt and pepper
• 1-1/2 pounds flank steak, at room temperature
• 4 small sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds total), each cut lengthwise into 6 wedges

Directions:

1. Using a food processor, finely chop the garlic. Add the parsley, 1/4 cup olive oil, the onion, thyme, vinegar, mustard seeds, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and pulse to combine. Coat the steak with 2 tablespoons of the chimichurri sauce and let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat a grill for both high and medium heat.

2. In a large bowl, toss the sweet potatoes with the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Arrange on an oiled grate over medium heat, cover and grill, turning occasionally, until tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, arrange the steak on the oiled grate over high heat, cover and grill, turning once, for 8 to 10 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer to a work surface and let rest for 10 minutes before thinly slicing. Serve with the remaining chimichurri and the sweet potatoes.