Steak and Potato Kebabs

Steak and Potato Kebabs are a complete meal on a stick. Marinated and skewered beef is paired with baby potatoes and red onions before being grilled to perfection! This is a stick to your ribs meal with minimum effort and maximum flavour!

STEAK AND POTATO KEBABS

Have you ever heard the expression that goes something like this: they’re meat and potato people. With those people in mind, Steak and Potato Kebabs are on the menu today! That expression wasn’t something I grew up hearing, because most of the Newfoundlanders that I know are meat and potato people! The expression is used to describe a person’s dietary preferences. So, a person who most often prepares a meal with meat as a main, and some variation of a starchy side, might be considered a meat and potato person.

One of my favourite people on the planet, Natasha, has used that expression a few times when describing her husband. It would come up whenever we all wanted to go out to eat somewhere. For example, if I suggested a Thai restaurant, she would respond with, “I’d love to go there, but Al is a meat and potatoes guy.” That meant that a Thai restaurant might not have a dish he would feel comfortable ordering.

In most cases, we would all go to a Chinese buffet, because a buffet ususually has something for everyone. Al could most certainly get mashed potatoes and prime rib. John.e could load up on tofu and sauteed veggies. And, people like Natasha and myself, could get our fix on what Al might consider more adventurous cuisine. He’s a meat and potato person. But, we all love him anyway! Ha!

PREPARING THE STEAK

The key to a really good steak kebab is rather simple. You should always marinate the beef first. By doing so, you are not only injecting flavour into the beef, you’re also making that steak much more tender. That seems basic enough, right? Well, there’s one more thing you’re doing as well. You’re ensuring that the beef doesn’t dry out on the grill.

I don’t know about you, Dear Reader, but whenever I grill meat, the animalistic caveman that lives somewhere in my subconscious whispers in my ear. He says, “Hey LB – it’s not going to taste any good unless it’s totally engulfed in flames!” You see, I’m one of those people who loves to have strong grill marks, but don’t care to have overcooked meat. I find I can get both with a very hot grill and lots of flame.

The charred fatty bits on a steak are the best part for me, but not everyone feels the same way. Likewise, not everyone likes their steak to be medium-well. If you’re one of those who prefer steak to be rare or medium-rare, I admire you! You never have to worry about trying to eat a dry steak.

Those of us who like a tender steak, but would prefer not to have any trace of pink, suffer greatly. Why is it that a steak goes from medium-well to overcooked in thirty seconds? I have learned to combat that with marinating and high heat. While the high heat cooks the steak thoroughly, the flames help to get those char marks and flavour, but the marinade keeps that steak moist and tender.

PERFECTLY COOKED POTATOES

What can make a steak more appealing that grill marks? Nothing! So, to get those lovely marks, I like to grill the steak over high heat. But, by doing so, you can risk burning or overcooking anything else on the skewer. In this case, the baby potatoes are at risk of being overdone. Have you ever tasted a potato that is overcooked? Instead of it being buttery and soft, it’s mushy and wet.

Here’s how I like to get the perfect grilled potato. It might be obvious to some of you, but I’ll say it anyway. If you think you can put a raw baby potato on your skewer and it will be cooked through by the time your steak is done, you’re wrong. Potatoes need more time, which is why you will need to parboil the potatoes first.

Add the potatoes to a small pot. Cover with cold water until there’s at least one inch of water above the potatoes. Add a little bit of salt. Place a lid on the pot and over high heat, bring the potatoes to a full boil. Turn off the heat, but do not remove the lid. Allow the potatoes to sit in the hot water for 7-8 minutes.

To test for doneness, try to insert a toothpick into one of the potatoes. It should go in, but with some resistance. The potato should be almost cooked until tender, but still have a bit of firmness to it. If you have to force the toothpick, or if the potato looks like it’s going to split into two pieces, they’re not done. Place the lid back on the pot and test the potatoes again in five minutes. Once done, drain and cool completely.

HERE’S WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

• Top Sirloin– To make six kebabs, which will serve three people, you will need about two pounds of sirloin. Instead of looking for a steak large in length, look for a thicker steak. Thicker pieces will be easier to skewer and less likely to over cook.
• Baby Potatoes – Since each skewer has three baby potatoes, and this recipe will make six skewers, you will need 18 baby potatoes. Depending on the size, this would be equal to about a pound.
• Red Onion – You will only need about half. Remove the skin and discard. Cut the onion into once inch pieces.
• Olive Oil – This is the glue that keeps the marinade together.
• Soy Sauce – To add saltiness and flavour.
• Worcestershire Sauce – To add a savoury and a slightly sweet flavour, and a bit of tartness as well.
• Garlic – Fresh minced garlic pairs so well with both grilled steak and potatoes.
• Italian Seasoning – This particular blend has so much flavour and can be used in many dishes. I always have a batch of homemade Italian Seasoning Blend on hand. It’s easily made with common spices in your spice rack.
• Salt and Pepper
• Skewers – I’m using these 12″ metal skewers. If you plan to use wooden skewers, be sure to soak them in water for 30 minutes first, otherwise, they will burn.

ASSEMBLING THE KEBABS

Once the steak has marinated and the potatoes and onions have been prepped, it’s time to assemble the kebabs. The most important thing to remember is that you should start and end each kebab with a piece of the steak. Unlike the potatoes and onions which loosen up when heat is applied, steak with contract. When the steak heats up and contracts, it basically hugs the skewers tightly. This will prevent anything in between from falling off.

It’s also important to pack the skewers tightly. I know this goes against most kebab rules, but there’s a valid reason. If I were skewering meat on meat, I would not pack the skewer too tight. Doing so might prevent the meat from cooking through. An example of this can be found in my Donair Chicken Skewers.

In the case of these Steak and Potato Kebabs, you can ignore that rule. In between each piece of steak is a partially cooked potato and a piece of onion. Both of those things are edible in their current state, so there’s no need to leave a bit of wiggle room. Besides, the steak will shrink a bit and the heat will get to the potatoes and the onions. And, you’ll be left with little gaps in the end.

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