{the dish} flat iron steak with cilantro lime pesto & purple potatoes

Now I know for a fact that when I was growing up there was NO SUCH THING as a purple potatoes. Really where did all these wonderfully unique vegetables come from. We now have mini artichokes, purple artichokes, dragon beans, baby beets, yellow calliflower, easter egg radishes, heirloom tomatoes, honey crisp apples, champagne grapes, 20 kinds of lettuce, and 10 kinds of mushrooms, numerous peppers....... (please fill in the blank - you know where I am going on this one).

isn't it wonderful!

I think that these exotic branches of the traditional fruits and vegetables (that we grew up with) are kind of like the "punk rockers" of the 80s. They have died their hair pink and are wearing clothes that get our attention. They add spice, step up the bar so to speak, make us think differently. Don't we all long for that edginess .... but gravitate to what we know?

A push is always good!

Most of the time I go for my good ole friends... not because I can't move on ... mainly it is a price point difference (I mean these potatoes cost me $9 - hey they are potatoes for goodness sake) ... but they are pretty!

Then there is the issue of the flat iron steak. I don't recall this as an option when I was young. Really it was a t-bone for the special occasions and a patio steak for the everyday. Now-a-day when it comes to choosing a cut of meat ... well lets just say sometimes I just close my eyes and hope I have chosen well.

These flat iron steaks were delicious, inexpensive and cooked up so well. I added a little pesto that I easily could have mixed in with those potatoes too. enjoy!

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flat iron steak, purple potatoes and lime cilantro pesto by ann west

the steak

flat iron steak - these are a thin cut, they don't really need marinating and they are tender -

Sliced they would be great in salad as well!

salt and pepper your steak and rub with just a bit of olive oil. Grill to medium rare.

purple potatoes

slice your potatoes in half

oil your jelly roll pan

toss your potatoes in some oil and arrange cut side down

roast at 400 for 30 minutes or until tender

I salted these with some "truffle salt" I had. WOW delicious.

cilantro pesto

handful of cilantro

smaller handful of parsley

1 garlic clove - you really don't need any more

1/4 c maybe a little more macadamia nuts

olive oil

salt & pepper

lime juice

dash of sugar

blend all of this together and then add your olive oil slowly until it comes to the consistency you like. I prefer pesto a little chunky and not too much oil. maybe the photo shows best.

have fun and enjoy!

{the dish} Lamb Chops and a Deconstructed Pesto Parsley Sauce

First I must say thank you for bearing with me. Nothing worse in the blogging world than when your computer is down. So here I am back in business with a fixed display panel and graphics processor. I don't know about you but it is kind of like taking my car in... they could tell me anything and I would say .... hmmm ok fix it NOW!

This sauce is the highlight of the dish. It is fresh and crisp and makes even lamb scream - summer. Just like when you look out the window of your car and the sun has hidden itself for just a moment and WOW. Everything is crisp and bright and amazing.

I served the sauce with lamb, mashes and some grilled asparagus. I truly built the meal around the sauce. I have had this sauce swimming around in my head for some time and finally it had to be made real. So I decided that lamb would pair so well with parsley and garlic and well I have a ton of basil in the garden so I might as well add that. Then some olive oil, lemon, red pepper and salt. There you go.

... and you just have to have a little mash with lamb. I like my mashes rough. I leave the skins on and as much as I mash - they are a still lumpy. Don't let me lead you astray I do appreciate a creamy mash that is like velvet - I am just impatient!

Pesto Parsley Sauce by ann west

a generous handful of italian parley chopped

4 cloves of garlic chopped

a generous handful of basil chopped

small handful of pinenuts chopped

salt

red pepper

and olive oil

1 lemon

Chop chop chop. Add oil and spices. Squeeze the lemon stir and taste! This will be great with some tomatoes added tomorrow onto of some toasted bread - can't wait.

For your Lamb Chops : Rub with olive oil, salt and pepper them, they don't need anything else. Grill to your preference!

For your Mashes: Gold potatoes boiled and drained, generous amounts of melted butter, buttermilk, salt and pepper. Mash until you loose patience and then serve. My husband and I like a little horseradish mixed into ours.

enjoy!