Meat and potato lover?

Add them to a salad

Generations of us have grown up heralding meat and potatoes as the classic dinner of choice.

Who doesn’t love the taste of that time-honoured combination, filling our bellies with the comfort of a juicy, fatty steak and fluffy, carb-y spuds?

Just thinking about it is enough to make us pine for the 1950s when this was considered a healthy meal.

I have good news, however. I have discovered that with a little creativity, any main dish can be turned into a salad, scratching the itch without ditching nutrition.

So, yes, meat and potatoes can be made healthier and lighter, which is a bonus for summertime eating.

Try my Meat and Potatoes Steakhouse Salad recipe.

It stretches just one 8-ounce (226g) steak into feeding four people, which means alongside that tasty steak, each person will also be filled up with a slew of veggies.

I used filet mignon because it’s a lean cut of beef, and since only a little meat is needed per person, the whole dish remains reasonably priced.

Cute baby potatoes on the salad mean you’ll also feel satisfied in a way that, frankly, only comes from a starchy side.

In fact, the entire salad celebrates steakhouse flavours, including garlicky meaty mushrooms, flash cooked asparagus, tomatoes, blue cheese, chives and a creamy dressing made from Dijon mustard and aromatic tarragon.

It’s like the steakhouse menu itself morphed into a complete meal on a plate. At 322 calories per serving, you might have steak and potatoes a little more often.

Meat and Potatoes Steakhouse Salad

Serves: 4 Start to finish: 25 minutes

6 cups (1.5 L) of baby spinach or mixed greens

8-oz (226-g) filet mignon, trimmed of visible fat 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) granulated garlic 1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil 8 oz (226 g) sliced white mushrooms 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 lb (226 g) asparagus, steamed until just barely tender

1/2 lb (226 g) baby potatoes, boiled until tender 4 small tomatoes, quartered 1 oz (28 g) blue cheese, in crumbles or chunks

3 tbsp (45 ml) chopped fresh chives

Tarragon-Dijon Dressing

2 tbsp (30 ml) Dijon mustard 2 tbsp (30 ml) red wine vinegar 2 tbsp (30 ml) water 1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil 1 tsp (5 ml) dried tarragon (or 2 tsp/10 ml fresh)

salt and pepper

Place the greens on a large platter and set aside.

Heat a heavy sauté pan over medium high heat.

Sprinkle the steak with salt, pepper, granulated garlic and half of the olive oil, and then cook in the pan until cooked to desired doneness, about 3-5 minutes per side.

Remove the steak from the pan and set aside to rest.

In the same sauté pan, add the remaining olive oil, mushrooms and garlic, and cook just until mushrooms begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and set aside.

Make the dressing: whisk together the Dijon mustard, vinegar, olive oil and tarragon until creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste. Layer all the salad ingredients on top of the spinach and drizzle with the dressing and serve.

(May be chilled if preferred, but I like the slight warmth of the steak, mushrooms and potatoes on the salad.)

— THE ASSOCIATED PRESS A meat and potatoes salad serves up big steakhouse flavours, but sneaks in some tomatoes, mushrooms and asparagus, too, for a light and healthy summertime dish.