Here’s a cool and crunchy garden salad with an Old Fashioned Buttermilk Dressing…and Steak! Ya gotta love a simple Steak Salad Buttermilk Dressing combo, especially these days when we’re inundated with flavors from all over the globe. A little down-home meal can step in and give some balance.
Steak Salad Buttermilk Dressing – this was for two people, recipe is for 4
From what I’ve been able to gather reading old cookbooks, the roots of this dressing are likely German (so there’s still global influence). It’s “country”, for sure; I knew this dressing from my Iowa upbringing. (Grandma sipped a glass of buttermilk every day.) So sorry to the South – you can’t claim every food! I’ll give ya Ranch, though. 🙂
About Steak Salad Buttermilk Dressing:
The salad itself couldn’t be simpler: fresh, cool, crispy, and full of garden veggies. The dressing is tangy buttermilk, thickened with a bit of sour cream or yogurt, and accented with chive. Bonus: it’s an easy shake together in a jar dressing.
I used to be confused about the idea of steak and salad together in the same dish. Not these days, when we can pick and choose all the accompaniments that make sense to us.
I came from back in the day when we were lucky to have iceberg lettuce at the store! Here, the Romaine holds its own, and the cucumbers, tomatoes, and bell peppers are simple enough to keep the steak the star of the show.
Cooking the Steak:
The steak, though! Oh my gosh. Doncha love it when it can be made just to your liking? Season like the chefs, simply with salt and cracked black pepper, grill outside or in a grill pan, and it’s perfection.
I’ve dry-brined – read more at Serious Eats. Remove steaks from the fridge at least 45 minutes to an hour before cooking, and sprinkle liberally with kosher salt. Place on a rack. A little cracked black pepper goes on right before grilling.
Use a two-zone fire. On the hot side of the grill, add the steak at an angle. Use a press (or a heavy pan with foil between the steak and pan) for a minute or two to get great grill marks. Turn 45 degrees and do the same. Once both sides are seared off, move the steak to the cooler side of the grill, cover, and cook to the desired temperature.
Inside, use high heat, and after the steak is seared, just move the grill pan off the heat and cover. If needed, turn the heat back on to medium.
If you have another favorite method or steak seasoning (Cajun would be great, just sayin’), feel free to use it. This is YOUR salad now.
More about the Steak:
You may choose other steaks, and grilled chicken would be great:
- Sirloin is my choice, tasty, tender, affordable, and often on sale.
- The steak may be leftover.
If using leftover steak, try America’s Test Kitchen Method to reheat.
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Place the steak on a wire rack over a rimmed tray. (Line with foil for easy clean-up.) Warm to 110 degrees F. (about 20 minutes for a thinner steak, 30 for a 1 1/2 inch steak).
Pat dry and sear in a hot 12″ skillet with a tablespoon of oil, until crispy on the outside, 60 to 90 seconds. Let it rest for five.
Steak Salad Buttermilk Dressing
Variations on Steak Salad Buttermilk Dressing:
For this simple garden salad, I used bell pepper, cucumber, and tomatoes along with the romaine.
Add in whatever vegetables you wish. Make sure to have a use for any parts or pieces of vegetables not used.
Croutons would be a great addition; Homemade Croutons are best.
Leftover Steak Salad Buttermilk Dressing:
Store the salad and dressing separately; the salad will keep two to three days, the dressing a week or two.
If already dressed, don’t expect more than a day on the salad.
Other Main Dish Salads You Might Like:
- Taphouse Salad: complicated but so worth it!
Taphouse Salad with Roasted Tomatoes, Mushrooms & Smashburger
- Shaking Beef: the Classic Vietnamese dish of steak, tomatoes, and onion.
Shaking Beef – Bò Lúc Lắc
Saving Money on Groceries:
What you pay for groceries depends on not just WHERE you shop, but WHEN. Be strategic and stock up at rock-bottom prices.
- The best sales are before holidays; check out Win at the Grocers. Think beyond the occasion & use the opportunity to stock up at a low for the coming weeks to months.
- If available, take advantage of discount stores like Aldi or Lidl. The pricing at Buyer’s clubs is not always the lowest, but can trump in quality. Be selective when shopping there.
Steak:
When choosing steak and serving, get the most bang for your buck. Take advantage of rock-bottom pricing and freeze. Larger steaks, sliced across the grain and served in pieces, help stretch it.
- Sirloin is usually affordable, frequently goes on sale, and can often sub for pricier cuts. Round is lean, prone to being dry, but can work if not overcooked.
- Leading up to Winter Holidays, Valentine’s Day, and Summer Holidays, groceries have various steaks on sale with different price points.
- Every steak has a corresponding roast; slice into steaks. Look for better roasts before the Winter holidays, cheaper in January and February.
- Compare price per pound on family packs. Divide and freeze extras whole or cube, or slice for recipes first. Label!
Romaine Lettuce:
- The best pricing is by the head/bunch, especially on sale. It tastes better, lasts longer, is fresher, and has less chance of contamination.
- When compared by weight, bagged runs 4 to 10 times the price.
- Wash all greens before using, except according to the FDA packaged, labeled prewashed. Avoid cross-contamination.
- Store in a slightly open bag lined with a paper towel in the crisper drawer. If dry or wilted, dampen the paper towel and wring it out first.
Cherry Tomatoes:
- Cherry tomatoes are easy to grow; smaller varieties do well in pots.
- If buying: check your buyers’ club for fabulous pricing and quality, discount grocers, or sales at the grocery.
- Pricing at Farmers’ Markets can be iffy, but quality and variety may be better. Consider imperfect.
- Budget option: Use whole tomatoes cut into bite-sized chunks.
- Once fully ripened, place in the fridge to buy time; bring out a few hours before using.
Cucumbers:
- Cucumbers go on sale regularly and will keep for a few days to a week if stored correctly.
- Wash and dry well before storing. Wrap in a paper towel and place in a partially open produce bag. Keep in the crisper drawer. Don’t store with tomatoes, melons, or apples.
Bell Peppers:
- Buy on sale or take advantage of discount store pricing. Compare the pricing of two or three packs to singles.
- Green peppers are the bargain; cheaper than other colors.
- Store for one to two weeks in a perforated bag (or the bag they come in; staple or tape it shut after removing one).
- If a save is needed, roast, peel, and freeze the colored ones; Green can be diced and frozen raw for recipes.
Steak Salad Buttermilk Dressing
Steak Salad Buttermilk Dressing
- Prep Time: 45 minutes to an hour
- Cook Time: 15 to 20 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Salads
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Note the recipe serves 4; the photos are for two servings.
For all the ingredients, adjust to your taste; I know many will want more steak!
For the Steak:
- 2 8-ounce sirloin steaks
- kosher salt
- cracked black pepper to taste
For the Salad:
- 1 to 2 heads romaine, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced
- 1 medium cucumber, sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, chunked or several mini bells, sliced
- 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
For the Dressing:
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 to 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt, sour cream, or mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon neutral oil
- 2 to 3 teaspoons thinly sliced chives (substitute with green portion of green onion
- salt and cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
For the Steak:
Remove from fridge, from about 8 inches above the steak, sprinkle both sides with a couple of 3 finger pinches of salt. Place on wire rack for 45 minutes to an hour; if going longer refrigerage, but remove about half an hour before cooking.
- If grilling outside, preheat 1/2 grill to medium high.
- If using a grill pan, preheat preferably cast iron grill pan, over high heat. (You may wish to use the hood fan.)
Place steaks on the hot side of the grill or the grill pan at an angle. Weigh with a press (or heavy pan) until grill marks form. Turn 45 degrees in the opposite direction, do the same. Repeat for the other side.
- On outside grill, move steak to the cool side of the grill, place the thermometer, cover the grill and allow to come up to desired temperature.
- Inside, move grill pan to empty (not on) burner, place thermometer and allow to come to desired temperature. If necessary, turn the heat to medium.
For temperatures, see chart in body of text. Allow steaks to rest, lightly covered, for five to 10 minutes.
For the Salad:
Arrange ingredients attractively on a platter (leave room to add the steak). When finished and ready to serve, add the steak, and drizzle the salad with dressing. Pass any additional dressing at the table.
For the Dressing:
Add all ingredients to a jar. Shake well.
Nutritional Information for Dressing Only; the salad has a lot of variables.
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings 4.0 | |
| Amount Per Serving | |
| calories 157 | |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Total Fat 13 g | 21 % |
| Saturated Fat 13 g | 64 % |
| Monounsaturated Fat 0 g | |
| Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g | |
| Trans Fat 0 g | |
| Cholesterol 4 mg | 1 % |
| Sodium 338 mg | 14 % |
| Potassium 260 mg | 7 % |
| Total Carbohydrate 5 g | 2 % |
| Dietary Fiber 1 g | 5 % |
| Sugars 4 g | |
| Protein 7 g | 14 % |
| Vitamin A | 45 % |
| Vitamin C | 52 % |
| Calcium | 13 % |
| Iron | 5 % |
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