St. Louis Bread Company Grilled Steak Salad

Serves 6.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 pounds (1 inch thick) beef tenderloin (about 6 steaks)
• 1 sourdough baguette
• Olive oil
• Blue cheese sprinkles (optional)
• 1 (10 ounce) bag baby spinach leaves
• 1 head red leaf lettuce
• 1 (16 ounce) can mandarin oranges
• 1 cup crumbled blue cheese (about 4 ounce)
• 3/4 cup sliced almonds (about 3 ounce)
• 1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
• Saint Louis Bread Poppyseed dressing

Instructions

1. Rub both sides of steak lightly with vegetable oil, and season with salt and pepper.
2. Grill steaks on one side, turn and finish grilling to desired doneness. (About 5 minutes per side for medium rare).
3. Transfer steaks to platter and let stand until cool, about 15 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled.
4. Just before serving slice diagonally into thin strips.
5. If you prefer, coat the bottom of a large, heavy skillet with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and place over medium high heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add steaks and cook on both sides to desired doneness. Prepare the steaks for serving as directed above.
6. Cut bread into 3/4 to 1 inch thick slices. Place slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake slowly in a 300 degree F oven until they are browned and crisp( approximately 25 to 30 minutes).
7. For extra flavor, lightly brush each slice with olive oil after they have baked for 15 minutes. If you wish, sprinkle blue cheese crumbles over the slices for the last minute or so of baking, just until the cheese softens.
8. Mix together salad ingredients, top with steak and giant croutons and serve with poppyseed dressing.

Attribution

Sue Stees, St. Louis Bread Company