…in other words, a fancier way to do “meat and three veg”….pancetta makes it fancier right?! 
I’m still feeling a bit time-poor and not quite settled into a routine after the move and Christmas, but have really been wanting to get back in the kitchen and start cooking some new dishes.
This dish is definitely not technical and hardly worth writing up a recipe for, but it is something I haven’t put together before and it was delicious, so I’m going to share it anyway! I even came up with the idea all on my own (amateur cook here…very excited-hehe!)
Serves 2
Grilled herb steak
2 fillets of steak (I used porterhouse)
2 tsp dried thyme
1 clove garlic, crushed
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Olive oil
Cover the steak with all of the dry ingredients. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and set aside in the fridge to marinate. I left mine for 30 minutes whilst preparing everything else below.
Cook to your tasting. I don’t, as a general rule, cook steak. That is usually DS’ job. Everyone likes their steak cooked differently…and there have been too many rubbery-steak instances at my hands!! However, last night, I cooked the steak…and happy to say it turned out ok! I fried it in the skillet, turning it just once (which is key…apparently!)
Mashed potato with pancetta
1/2 sweet potato, peeled and cut into big pieces
1 white potato, peeled and cut into big pieces
2 slices of pancetta, rind trimmed off and diced
Milk and butter, as required
I know mashed potato does not require a recipe, so I’ll just breeze through here….boil potatoes until soft. While they’re boiling, fry the pancetta for about 2 minutes until the pieces are a little crispy. Pat some of the oils off with paper towel. Mash the potatoes, add in milk and butter until you get a nice, creamy texture. Add in pancetta and combine – yum!
We served ours with a simple, fresh green salad consisting of lettuce, cucumber, snow peas, cherry tomatoes, red onion and a bit of goat’s cheese chevre on top (this cheese is my all-time favourite cheese, I think! So tasty).
The salad dressing I have been making recently is a lemon and olive oil combination.
Lemon salad dressing
1 fresh lemon, squeezed
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried thyme
S & P, just a tiny pinch
Whisk all of the above ingredients in a bowl until combined.
And there you have it. Even though it’s nothing special, I had to share…It was tasty, it was easy, win-win 
Do you remember the favourite chocolate I mentioned a couple of weeks ago? I found some in one of our favourite shops in Hahndorf, in the Adelaide Hills on the weekend…isn’t this the prettiest chocolate you ever did see!!! White chocolate with a snowflake, cranberries and pistachio! It was delicious
Your title drew me in Ali. Sounds like a dish on an upscale restaurant menu! Looks like it was delicious – hope DS was appreciative. I love chevre too. Also love your red skillet! And the chocolate (too nice to eat though, surely).
You’re too kind
Wouldn’t have won any prizes on Masterchef, but I have simple tastebuds and it was pretty good. Now, I just need to practice my photography so they look as good as yours! We love our skillet too, DS was very appreciative and the chocolate is too nice to eat! But, we have…made it last 5 days, though. A square a day 😊
Well dang it! Here I was about to go to bed but now I have the munchies!!
The chocolate wouldn’t satisfy any hunger pains but it sure does satisfy the tastebuds!
The chocolate looks so delicious! Interesting that there is a place named Hahndorf near where you live because it might as well be the name of a place in Luxembourg. -dorf is a very common suffix over here… xo
LUXESSED
Hahndorf is a German settled town, there are a couple of German-settled near Adelaide. It must have been a popular place for settlement.
Ali, I love this chocolate!! Of course I really like the steak, sweet & white potato, and garden salad. But that white chocolate is divine!!
The chocolate is to die for. It is so delicious (all gone now of course!)
Great looking meal! My favorite way to cook steak is to really sear it on top of the stove, flip and sear another minute, then put it in a 350 to 400 degree oven (F) and cook until done (medium-rare, please). I haven’t had steak in ages – now I just have to have some!
I hadn’t had steak in ages either…unless someone else cooks it for me, I don’t tend to! I will have try your method out.
You make me want to devour meat haha
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Haha! You don’t eat meat? Hope you had a lovely break
I love me a good steak
I don’t eat them often but when I do its always a good one like this recipe!
Ali, what a lovely recipe!!! I can have it all, down to every little bite!
Thankyou
It was a pretty delicious meal!