Best sides for Grilled steak

Steak! Why can’t there be more questions on here about steak? I could just sit here and write about steak all day.

Grilled steak is my version of fast food. If I don’t have any ideas for dinner, I go pick up a couple steaks, ideally grass fed ribeyes, bison if they have it. This sounds luxurious, but it probably costs less than what most people spend in the drive through at their local fast food chain to get something that is most certainly not steak.

Aside from its tasty flavor, health benefits, ease of cooking, and affordability when cooked at home, steak is great because it goes with almost anything. Pour yourself a glass of red wine or microbrew beer and you can have an great meal for any season of the year. Because there are so many options, I’m going to limit this section to sides that can also be prepared on the grill. Why use your kitchen if you don’t have to?

Corn on the cob:
When it is in season, this is one of the easiest possible sides for a good steak. Peel it, throw it on a hot grill, turn occasionally until it browns a little and is done. Roll in butter, top with salt, enjoy.

Portabello Mushrooms:
Remove the stems, put them upside down and pour on some olive oil or butter, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. If you want them cheese, add some shredded Italian or mozzarella cheese. You can do something similar with other types of seasonings if you don’t want Italian. Let them sit for 20-30 minutes, about the same amount of time the steak takes to come up to room temperature, before grilling. Grill until the mushrooms seem cooked and the cheese is melty and browned. Melting cheese may cause flame ups, so be careful.

Tomatoes:
These are made basically the same way as the mushrooms above. Cut the tomatoes in half, add the seasonings and cheese, and grill them on a piece of foil. They will stick if you don’t use foil. They shouldn’t take as long as the mushrooms.

Shrimp skewers:
Soak some wooden skewers in water for a while. Clean some wild shrimp and marinate in whatever types of flavors you like. Grill the skewers, turning them occasionally and brushing with more marinade as they cook.

Grilled steak salad:
You could have this as a side with your steak, but it also includes steak so it could just be your steak. I typically season a skirt steak with salt and pepper and throw it on the grill. Mix up a big salad with greens, tomatoes, avocado, feta cheese, shredded carrot. I make a homemade vinaigrette dressing. This still counts as grilling because you haven’t cooked anything inside. If they’re in season, slice an orange into thin slices and throw it on the grill. Cut the grilled orange into pieces and toss that into the salad with the thinly sliced steak and everything else. Put enough stuff in there, and enough steak, and this can be a good grilled steak meal on its own.

These are only a few of the many grilled options to have with your grilled steak. Take it off the grill, let it rest before cutting, and top with salt and grass fed butter, which has a lot more flavor that the cheap stuff and more health benefits. Enjoy your steak dinner!