Grilling season is year round for us. We are former Chicagoans, so it was not unusual for us to shovel the snow from around the grill and start cooking. The only thing that has kept us from the grill was driving rain or when the wind blew out the flame. Thankfully, when we made this dinner, it was a beautiful, sunny, summer day.

Steak

My husband prepares the steaks by brushing them with olive oil, Himalayan sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. We used New York Strips for this meal, but you can use whatever cut you like. Costco is our go to for steaks.

On a medium setting, he gets a good sear on each side. He then moves it to the higher rack until it reaches an internal temp of 145 degrees. We like our steak medium to medium rare. You can cook it longer for your desired doneness.

For the sides, I made dill potatoes and a roasted beet salad.

Potatoes

Ingredients:

B sized potatoes, washed and cut into halves or quarters

1/4 cup of butter

2 teaspoons of dried dill

I like to use B sized potatoes for this dish and usually cut them in half or quarters. Add to pot with cold water and bring to a boil. Cook for another 20 minutes or until tender. Drain and add potatoes back to pot. Cut butter into pats and sprinkle dill. Stir and serve immediately.

Beet Salad

Ingredients:

Heirloom beets (8)

Baby Spinach

Goat cheese

Balsamic vinaigrette

I love to use fresh heirloom beets from the farmer’s market. If you cut the greens off them, they will keep in the refrigerator for weeks.

To make this salad, I like to roast the beets in the oven. Wash the beets and cut them into quarters. I mix them in a bag with olive oil to coat them and then pour into a 9 x 13 baking dish. Cook at 400 degrees for 45 minutes.

Let the beets cool and then peel the skin off. Refrigerate until ready to use. You can do this the day before or same day.

When ready to serve, add to spinach and sprinkle with crumbled goat cheese. Drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette and toss.