Grilled Skirt Steak & Arugula-Tomato Salad

It's been raining non-stop here all week and has put a damper on all things outdoors, especially for grilling and 4th of July activities. I ended up using my cast iron grill pan indoors since it wouldn't stop pouring last night. The steak got overcooked a tad as we like ours medium. I think the trick is to get the pan screaming hot and that way you get a nice sear and it doesn't get overdone. The skirt steak is a very thin and easy to overcook in my opinion. We still gobbled it up though because it tasted good even though it was well done. The side salad is really tasty with an interesting combination of tangy flavors - the capers, arugula and basil all mixed together.

The original recipe can be found Food Network's website here: Skirt Steak & Arugula Salad.  Even though I cut the recipe in half, the salad was quite large and could probably feed 4 but we gobbled it all up! Tomatoes are really tasty this time of year so they make a great addition to this yummy salad. We really enjoyed this summertime meal - just wish we would've used the real grill!

ingredients
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2.5 cups french bread cubes
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Salt & Pepper
• 1/4 cup sliced radishes
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, julienned
• 1 tbsp capers, plus 1 tbsp brine from jar
• 3/4 lb skirt steak
• 3 cups baby arugula
• 1/8 cup shredded mozzarella

directions
1. Heat 1/2 tbsp oil in cast iron skillet over medium high heat and toast bread cubes until golden, tossing around as they cook. Add the garlic and 1/8 tsp salt & pepper and cook tossing, until you start to smell the garlic. Transfer to a large bowl and add the radishes, tomatoes, basil, capers and brine and toss together.

2. Season the steak with good amount of salt and pepper. Heat a grill pan (grate side up) over high heat, once hot drizzle a bit of olive oil and start cooking the steak. Sear on first side 2-3 minutes or so then turn and cook another 2-3 minutes or until the steak is cooked to desired doneness. Skirt steak cooks really fast so keep that in mind because it is so thin. Transfer meat to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

3. Add the arugula and 1 Tbsp oil to the bowl of veggies and toss to coat, season with salt & pepper to taste. Add a little bit of shredded mozzarella to the salad when serving.

4. Thinly slice the steak against the grain and serve each portion with some salad.

It tasted really good when you got some steak and salad in the same bite!

Enjoy!