Okay, we have a lot of regions going on! Chimichurri flank steak from Argentina. Spanish potatoes. AND Mexican corn salad. But let me tell you, all of these different regions coming together in this recipe end up blending beautifully!
I love chimichurri sauce. I’ve found that everyone makes it so completely differently from one another. I find a lot of people use parsley and red vinegar as the prominent base of the sauce. I don’t. I honestly don’t find that parsley packs that much flavor. It does have flavor, but it’s very subtle. And for any Spanish or Central/South American dish, I find cilantro is the flavor you want to lean toward as it really compliments the flavors of those cultures! Besides falafels, I generally only use parsley as a pretty garnish.
I like to make my chimichurri sauce a little spicy. Normally I just add a roasted jalapeño, with the seeds. But this time I added a roasted poblano as well. Poblanos have a wonderful, almost smoky flavor to them without being spicy. If you don’t want the jalapeños to add to much spice, just deseed them after you roast them! Then blend them together with olive oil, garlic, and lime juice, and you have a subtly spicy, smoky chimichurri sauce!
To compliment those flavors, the flank steak is marinated with lime juice, paprika, chili powder, chipotle powder, and garlic. You can marinate the flank steak overnight, but it really only needs to marinate at room temperature for an hour. If you marinate it overnight, be sure to remove it from the refrigerator an hour before cooking so the flank steak can come up to room temperature.
The Spanish potatoes are super easy to make. Rather than peeling and chopping russet potatoes, I opted for baby potatoes. They’re so easy to cook with for stews or roast recipes! The skin is thin enough that once it bakes, its soft and tender. What’s great is that while these roast, you can prep everything else! Then, 15 to 20 minutes before they’re done cooking, cook the flank steak and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing! I like to cook flank steak on a cast iron skillet. At this time of year, it’s just easier to keep it inside rather than deal with rain or cold or whatever other nastiness the late fall weather likes to bring!
The Mexican corn salad is super easy and bursting with flavors! It’s December, so fresh corn isn’t available here. But, frozen corn does great in this recipe and heats up quickly on the stovetop! You get so much extra flavor from the red pepper, jalapeño, and red onion that you won’t even miss that it’s not fresh corn. Then sprinkle with a little chili powder and a pinch of salt and pepper and that’s it!
I broke the directions down in easy to follow steps so that you can minimize the amount of time it takes and maximize efficiency! No one likes to have a difficult dinner in the middle of the week!
Remember, always slice your meat against the grain for the most tenderness! Then top with chimichurri sauce. Soooo yummy!
Enjoy!
Chimichurri Flank Steak with Spanish Potatoes & Mexican Corn Salad
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes + 1 hour marinade
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: South of the Border
- Cuisine: Dinner
Ingredients
Flank Steak
1½ lb flank steak
zest & juice of 1 lime
2 tsps paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp chipotle powder
4 garlic cloves minced
Chimichurri
1 poblano pepper
1 jalapeño
1 bunch of cilantro
juice of 1 lime
1/3 cup olive oil
4 garlic cloves
1 tsp salt
Spanish Potatoes
1½ lbs baby potatoes
2 TBs tomato paste
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
pinch of salt
1 TB lemon juice
1 TB olive oil
half of 1 lemon
Mexican Corn Salad
2 cups frozen corn
1 small red pepper, finely diced
½ a small onion, finely diced
1 small jalapeño, seeded and minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 TBs butter
1 TB chili powder
salt and pepper
Instructions
Marinate the Flank Steak
In a large bowl or ziplock bag, whisk together the lime juice and zest, paprika, chili powder, chipotle powder, and garlic. Add the flank steak and rub on the mixture to thoroughly coat. Leave at room temperature for 1 hour to marinate.
Chimichurri Prep
Turn the broiler to high, with the rack in its highest position. Place the chimichurri jalapeño and poblano peppers onto a baking sheet. Place under the broiler and cook for about 1 minute until charred on one side. Flip over and cook an additional minute. Remove and set aside.
Make the Spanish Potatoes
Preheat the oven to 350°
In a medium bowl, combine the Spanish potato ingredients: tomato paste, paprika, chili, cayenne, garlic powder, salt, lemon juice, and olive oil. Add the potatoes and, using your hands, thoroughly coat the potatoes. Spread out on a baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes. 5 minutes before finished cooking, squeeze the half of lemon over the potatoes.
Make the Chimichurri Sauce
Meanwhile, prepare the chimichurri sauce. Carefully slice around the top of the poblano to pull the bundle of seeds out; discard. Cut off the jalapeño stem and discard. Then in a small food processor, add the poblano and jalapeño peppers, cutting into quarters if necessary. Add in a handful of cilantro, the juice of one lime, the olive oil, garlic cloves, and salt. Blend until smooth. Set aside.
Make the Mexican Corn Salad
In a large frying pan, melt the butter. Add the red pepper, onion, jalapeño, and garlic. Cook until just starting to tenderize ~ about 5 minutes. Add the frozen corn, chili powder, and a light sprinkle of salt and pepper, or to taste. Stir to combine. Continue to cook until the corn is heated through ~ about another 5 minutes.
Cook the Flank Steak
15 minutes before the potatoes are done cooking, cook the flank steak. Heat a seasoned cast iron pan over medium heat. When hot, add the flank steak. Cook about 6 minutes per side for medium rare. It may take a minute longer per side if the cut is particularly thick. You can check the inside by cutting a small bit in the center to check color.
Once the meat has reached your desired doneness, remove from the pan and let rest on a cutting board until the potatoes are done. When ready, cut slices against the grain.
Plate the potatoes, Mexican corn salad, and flank steak with a side of chimichurri sauce.
Serve immediately! Enjoy!
Keywords: Chimichurri, Chimichurri Sauce, Chimichurri flank steak, Mexican corn, Mexican corn salad, Spanish potatoes, roasted potatoes, roasted Spanish potatoes
