Holiday grilling tradition
Steaks make Memorial Day a celebration, especially when they’re flavored with an herb rub and horseradish sauce Grilled steak with creamy horseradish walnut sauce
This will be a Memorial Day like no other.
This year, in addition to honoring the men and women who have died serving in the military, we also will celebrate the heroes on the front lines fighting this pandemic. Our sisters, nieces, nephews and cousins who’ve worked countless hours clothed in personal protective equipment to help others.
Normally, cooking has been my go-to approach for honoring these loved ones. However, we must practice social distancing, so our family of nurses, therapists, educators, 911 dispatchers, retirement home activity directors, social workers and hospital security guards are all in our hearts, if not at our table.
In these United States, nothing says holiday more than steak on the grill. Memorial Day is, after all, the official start of the grilling season.
So I’m grilling steak. Our extended families will do the same at their respective homes.
Everyone will purchase whatever steak their market has available; we’ll all use the same steak seasoning rub for a shared sense of the meal. The red wine will flow as our yards and decks fill with the aromas of hardwood charcoal. Our tradition dictates that we also serve plenty of vegetables, so kitchen helpers will work the stove. Dessert will be do-it-yourself ice cream sundaes.
For celebration cooking, I like the rich decadence of beef ’s middle cuts, such as New York strip, rib-eye, porterhouse and T-bone steaks. I look for sales at the supermarket meat counter and local butcher, and buy enough to freeze a steak or two for a later meal.
For everyday steak eating, skirt steak can’t be beat for its meaty, beefy flavor and perfect toothsomeness. This cut can be difficult to find in the best of times, so we often opt for lean, quick-cooking flank steak as a more available substitute. Sirloin steak, with its modest price tag and bold flavor, proves a delicious, if slightly chewier, alternative.
These days, many prominent steak restaurants are selling their steaks online (uncooked) for delivery and pickup. These premium, well-curated steaks likely
Prep:
Cook:
Rosemary and thyme steak seasoning, see recipe
Creamy horseradish walnut sauce, see recipe 1. Pat 2. Prepare 3. Put
Chill: 1 hour or up to 2 days
Makes: 4. Transfer the steak to a board. Use a very sharp slicing knife to slice steak across the grain into ½-inch thick pieces. Garnish with chopped herbs; serve with the sour cream sauce.
Nutrition information per serving: