Published February 12, 2007.
Steak and potatoes is a classic combination that's hard to beat, but cooking them together on the grill presents a host of problems.
Just throwing a steak and potatoes together on a grill can produce under- or overcooked steaks and potatoes that remain raw and starchy in the middle while burning on the outside.
We wanted this classic meat and potato combination to have a perfect balance of flavors and textures, with the slightly bitter charred crust of the steak balancing the rich, juice interior, and the sweet, tender potatoes soaking up the meat's juice.
After sampling a wide range of steak cuts, we most liked the flavor and texture of strip steaks. They're quite beefy and tender, with a little pleasant chew and a pronounced grain. Building the proper fire turned out to be as important as choosing the right steak. Very hot coals were essential to developing a rich crust, but cooler coals were necessary to heat the interior through without incinerating the exterior. Turning to the potatoes, we found that no matter how thinly sliced or how long they remained on the grill, the potatoes always tasted slightly raw. Precooking was the answer. Simmering thick slabs of Red Bliss potatoes (which have a good moisture content) in seasoned water, draining them, and tossing them with a little olive oil gave them attractively striped char marks on the grill while they finished cooking. For a flavorful finish, we whipped some blue cheese, shallot, garlic, and parsley into softened butter, which we simply spooned on top of each plated steak.
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