Steak Board Sauce & Farmers Market Salad

There's a chef's trick that turns a good grilled steak into a great one, and it happens not in a pan but on the cutting board itself. Paired here with a sprawling salad of roasted, pickled, and blanched market vegetables and a roasted-garlic buttermilk dressing, it becomes a genuine centerpiece — the kind of generous, colorful spread that anchors a summer gathering and makes everyone feel they've been invited to something special.

The Board Sauce Technique

The board sauce is elegant in its simplicity. On a large wooden cutting board, smash raw garlic into the wood and scatter chopped thyme and rosemary, cubes of butter, salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil. Then rest the screaming-hot steak straight off the grill right on top, flipping it a few times so the residual heat melts the butter and blooms the herbs and garlic. As the meat rests and you slice it against the grain, it drinks up that pooling, savory sauce — no separate pan sauce required.

The Farmers Market Salad

The salad is a celebration of technique and abundance. Baby potatoes and bell peppers roast golden; beets and radishes take a quick balsamic pickle; haricots verts get blanched and shocked bright; tomatoes are tossed in a little vinegar. All of it piles over red leaf lettuce into a lavish harvest platter. The dressing ties it together: buttermilk and sour cream blended with sweet, caramelized roasted garlic and chives into a tangy, savory drizzle served on the side.

Jorj Morgan

Steak Board Sauce & Farmers Market Salad

Steak Board Sauce & Farmers Market Salad offers a captivating grilled steak, bathed in a pooling, aromatic board sauce of fresh herbs and butter. This savory centerpiece is beautifully complemented by a sprawling market salad, showcasing both roasted and quick-pickled harvest vegetables, all drizzled with a rich roasted garlic buttermilk dressing.

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Servings: 8 servings

Course: Dinner Party, Main Course

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

The Board Sauce & Steak

• 1 1 ½ to 2-pound flank steak or thick sirloin
• 4 cloves garlic peeled and smashed
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into small cubes
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon coarse black pepper

The Roasted Harvest Additions

• 10 baby red potatoes halved
• 2 tablespoons olive oil for roasting
• 3 whole bulbs garlic for roasting
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 bunch baby carrots trimmed
• 1 bunch purple spring onions green tops removed
• 1 red bell pepper seeded and cut into strips
• 1 yellow bell pepper seeded and cut into strips

The Raw & Blanched Harvest

• 2 beets pre-roasted, peeled, and sliced into rounds
• 1 bunch radishes tops trimmed and sliced into rounds
• ½ cup white balsamic vinegar plus 1 tablespoon
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar plus a pinch
• 1 bunch haricots verts French green beans, ends trimmed
• 1 pint baby tomatoes halved
• 1 head red leaf lettuce torn into large pieces

The Roasted Garlic Buttermilk Dressing

• ½ cup high-quality buttermilk
• ½ cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons fresh chives chopped
• Roasted garlic paste extracted from the 3 roasted bulbs
• Kosher salt and coarse black pepper to taste

Method

 

Roast the Vegetables

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place the halved baby red potatoes on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast for 15 minutes until golden.
2. Cut the top third off the 3 garlic bulbs. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper, and oregano. Wrap tightly in a foil pouch, leaving a small opening at the top. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the cloves are soft and caramelized. Cool to room temperature.
3. Place the carrots, spring onions, and bell pepper strips onto a baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil, season, and roast until crisp-tender, about 5 to 10 minutes.

The Quick Pickle & Blanch

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the ½ cup white balsamic vinegar and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar. Toss the sliced beets and radishes in the liquid and set aside for 10 minutes to quick-pickle. Drain excess liquid before serving.
2. Bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon into the water, add the haricots verts, and blanch until bright green, about 2 minutes. Immediately transfer to an ice bath to halt cooking, then drain on paper towels.
3. Toss the halved baby tomatoes with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar, and a pinch of sugar.

Blend the Buttermilk Dressing

1. In the bowl of a food processor or blender, combine the buttermilk, sour cream, and fresh chives.
2. Squeeze the soft, caramelized roasted garlic cloves directly out of their skins into the dairy mixture.
3. Pulse the machine until the dressing is completely smooth and well blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Grill the Steak & Make the Board Sauce

1. Grill your steak over high heat to your desired internal temperature (medium-rare recommended).
2. While the steak cooks, prepare the "board sauce." On a large, heavy wooden cutting board, smush the smashed raw garlic into the wood. Scatter the chopped thyme, rosemary, butter cubes, kosher salt, and coarse black pepper across the center of the board. Drizzle with the 3 tablespoons of olive oil.
3. Transfer the screaming-hot steak directly from the grill onto the prepared board. Using tongs, flip the meat several times to melt the butter and bloom the garlic and herbs in the residual heat.
4. Tent the steak and the board loosely with aluminum foil and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes to absorb the fats and redistribute its juices. Slice the steak against the grain directly on the board.
5. Assemble the massive harvest salad over the red leaf lettuce on a large platter, serve the buttermilk dressing on the side, and present the sliced steak in its pooling board sauce.