Meal salads are great for summer dinners and are easy to make. They can be made for one person or for a crowd. This particular version highlights steak that complements the additional ingredients with the chosen dressing. If you like this salad, try our other salads – Southwest Chicken Salad, Greek Shrimp Salad, Mixed Greens with Grilled Chicken, Apples, Craisins and Pine Nuts or Grilled Salmon with Mixed Greens, Mandarin Oranges and Honey Roasted Almonds. Ingredient amounts will serve two. Adjust ingredient amounts to accommodate the number of people serving. See Chatty Advice on how to make a great salad at home.
Ingredients
Filet Mignon
2 – 4 oz. filets (about a half pound)
2 teaspoons of olive oil
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
Salad
4 cups spinach chopped – see chiffonade technique
2 cups of Romaine lettuce chopped – see chiffonade technique
1 avocado peeled, pitted and sliced
1/2 cup of cherry tomatoes cleaned and cut in half or quartered if they are large
2 tablespoons of green onion sliced
1/2 cup Briannas Homestyle Dijon Honey Mustard dressing
Croistini
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 garlic clove pressed or 1 cube of Dorot brand garlic
A quarter of a baguette sliced
Technique
For croistini, mix oil and garlic together. Brush both sides of each sliced baguette with mixture and bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until crisp.
On a plate add olive oil and coat the filets with olive oil on all sides and sprinkle both sides with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Preheat a grill or grill pan and grill filets to your desired doneness. These were medium and took about 7 minutes per side. Cooking times will vary depending on the thickness of the filets, the type of grill you are using and how well you like your meat done. See our technique How to Test Meat for Doneness. Set aside to rest for about 10 minutes before slicing. Prepare the rest of the salad ingredients. In a large bowl add both types of lettuce and toss with the dressing. Plate by adding half of the sliced avocado to each plate, top each plate with half of the salad and sprinkle half of the tomatoes and half of the green onions over each salad and top with the sliced filet. Serve with the croistini and enjoy!
Suggested Beverage
For lunch, try an ice tea or for dinner, try Bogle Vineyards Merlot (California), J. Lohr Paso Robles Merlot (California), Montes® Clasic Series Merlot (Chili), Paulaner Oktoberfest Märzen Amber German Amber (Germany) or Flensburger Brauerei Gold Premium Lager(Germany).
Chatty Advice
Quite a few people have asked “Why do salads always taste better in a restaurant vs. making them at home?†There are a couple of things to making a great salad at home. First off, chill the bowl or plate you will be using to plate the salad. Second, take the time to chop or dice the ingredients and use the chiffonade technique for cutting the salad greens when appropriate. Third, toss the salad with the dressing so the salad is evenly coated. Finally enjoy your restaurant style salad you created!
Leave a Reply