Chargrilled skirt steak with crisp potatoes and chimichurri

Kieran Scott

I could eat this every day. In fact the skirt steak is my “go to” dish on the Depot menu. Chimichurri is in many ways similar to a pesto (without the nuts and parmesan cheese). Originating from Argentina, it is traditionally served on grilled meat.

Chimichurri

1 cup	Fresh parsley, packed
1 ½ cups	Fresh coriander, packed
½ cup	Fresh oregano, packed
1	Garlic clove
1 Tbsp	Ground cumin
1 pinch	Chilli flakes
100 ml	Olive oil
50 ml	Red wine vinegar
1 tsp	Sugar

Skirt steak & crisp potatoes

1 to drizzle	Canola oil
700 g	Agria potatoes, small, cooked and sliced (Main)
1 to drizzle	Extra virgin olive oil
1 ⅕ kgs	Skirt steaks, tenderised and scored with a sharp knife (Main)

Directions

1. To make the chimichurri, place all the ingredients in a food processor and blitz until a roughish paste.
2. Taste and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.Refrigerate until required.
3. In a large skillet or pan over medium heat, add some canola oil, then fry the cooked and sliced potatoes until they are golden and crispy on both sides. Remove, season liberally with sea salt and keep warm.
4. Pre-heat a grillpan or barbecue to smoking hot. Oil your steaks and season well. Cook for 4 minutes each side, then remove from the heat to rest for a couple of minutes.
5. Lay down the crisp potatoes on your plate or platter. Slice the skirt steaks across the grain and lay next to the cooked potatoes.
6. Spoon over liberal amounts of the chimichurri, then tuck in.

Tip

Make sure you ask your butcher for thick skirt, as often butchers and supermarkets sell flank steak as skirt steak — this is completely different and is quite a bit tougher than thick skirt. The thick skirt is very recognisable as it has a connective tissue that runs the length of the steak through the middle. It’s easily removed with a sharp knife which then effectively gives you two steaks. A good idea is to rough score both sides of the steak before cooking. Never cook it to more than medium.