I keep a notebook on Evernote called “Future Ideas.” As the title suggests, I use it to squirrel away ideas…for the future. Periodically, I scroll through the list looking for inspiration, often finishing by wanting to rename the notebook “Bad Ideas.” However, this week, I stumbled upon a note written years ago titled “Carne Asada Planked Potatoes.” I don’t remember the inspiration to jot it down. It was most likely a riff on something I saw on a restaurant menu. Carne Asada Potatoes are a thing. Regardless of its origin, I’m glad I moved this future idea to “current” project. The results were spectacular and better yet, two meals in one. Here’s how it all comes together.

I am always looking to put something new on a grilling plank (Hello Wildwood Grilling!), and while I’ve planked both potatoes and steak, I’ve never put them together. There are a lot of prep cooking steps leading up to everything hitting the grill. The most critical background player here is my Chefsteps Joule Sous Vide. I’ve had this unit for a while, but for some reason have been using it non-stop the last few months when grilling steaks. Let me explain.

Joule helps me in two ways: marinades and time. I am almost always a dry rub kind of guy. For one, it’s easier. Secondly, I prefer the texture when grilling. The moisture from the marinade prevents a perfect crust, which is something I’m going for visually and by taste. As for time, this gives me flexibility. Most steaks can take one to two hours in the water bath and then only two minutes on a very hot grill. Holding the meat at a perfectly cooked temperature allows me to concentrate on all of the other pieces of an involved recipe.

By vacuum sealing and cooking the marinade into the meat, the flavor is phenomenal, and searing over a hot grill mostly solves my crust texture quibbles. The sous vide marinate has been a fantastic method for incorporating a variety of ethnic flavors not customarily created by dry herbs and seasonings. Needless to say, I’m hooked, which brings us back to these Carne Asada Planked Potatoes.

The ultimate appetizer or for a hungry soul, dinner. A smoldering oak plank topped with crispy smashed potatoes layered with thinly sliced aggressively marinated pieces of skirt steak topped with fresh jalapenos, shredded cheddar cheese, and cilantro, served with fresh pico de gallo and guacamole. And for breakfast the next morning, Carne Asada Hash!

Carne Asada Planked Potatoes

by Mike Lang

Skirt steak, approximately 1 1/2 pounds

Marinade

2 Tablespoons lime juice, fresh squeezed
2 Tablespoons orange juice, fresh squeezed
3 Garlic cloves, smashed
1/4 Cup cilantro, roughly chopped
1 Jalapeno, seeds & veins removed, diced
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 Teaspoon black pepper
1/2 Cup extra virgin olive oil

2 Pounds mini-Yukon gold potatoes

1/2 Cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 Jalapeno, sliced
Fresh cilantro
Kosher salt
Black pepper

Red Oak Grilling Plank - Which you can buy from me right here!

Optional

Fresh Guacamole
Fresh Pico de Gallo

With a sharp knife, remove any extra fat and membrane from the skirt steak.

Note: I’m going to discuss using the sous vide. To prepare without, lengthen the marinade time to overnight and grill traditionally.

In a medium bowl, add the juices, garlic, cilantro, jalapeno, salt, and pepper.

Slowly pour in the olive oil while whisking the ingredients.

Place a vacuum-sealed bag with the bottom end sealed in a large bowl. Add the marinade and the skirt steak to the bag.

Using the vacuum sealer, seal the bag closed.

With a bag full of liquids, getting a seal can be a little challenging. My FoodSaver has an auto-pulse feature where I can slowly remove air to avoid pulling liquid past the seal bars. The goal is to get most of the air out, not all of it.

There are two features I love about my Chefsteps Joule. One, it’s totally controlled by an app on my phone and two, it can be controlled by Amazon’s Alexa.

It’s easy to pull the app out to set the temperature and timer. It’s even easier to have Alexa take care of it while I’m working on the marinade. Even when in the kitchen by myself, there is a lot of talking going on!

Based upon settings suggested by Joule, I set the water bath for 129° F for a medium-rare steak. Joule will guide cooking times based upon size and whether the meat is fresh or frozen. I usually shoot for an hour of cook time, knowing I can push it to two hours if need be. Cooking any further can start to change the texture of the meat, which we don’t want.

With the meat cooking and marinating away, bring a large pot of water to boil. Place the potatoes in the water and cook for 10 minutes.

Remove the potatoes from the pot and immediately cool the potatoes under cold running water to stop them from cooking.

On a sturdy surface, gently smash each potato with the palm of the hand. The key is to just break the skin so the potato is smashed to approximately 3/4 of an inch in height.

Prepare a grill with a two-zone fire for medium-high heat (400° to 450° F). Also, night time Weber charcoal dumps are the absolute best!

Place the grilling plank over direct heat for approximately 2 minutes, or until the plank is marked and begins to smolder.

Stack the potatoes on a grilling plank.

Once the meat has cooked at least an hour, remove from the water bath. Remove the meat from the bag, place on a wire rack over a sheet pan, and blot to dry with a paper towel.

Grill the steak over direct medium-high heat for two minutes, flipping once.

Slice the skirt steak into strips. Remember to cut against the grain of the meat. On skirt steak, the grain runs along the short edge. To cut against the grain, place the steak in front of you so it runs lengthwise from left to right. Slice into thirds, then rotate each cut piece 90 degrees before thinly slicing.

Grill the planked potatoes over indirect medium-high heat for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes have crispened.

Pile the steak on the planked potatoes. Depending on the size of the steak, you may have some slices leftover. Save for later, or double up the recipe to feed more mouths. Top with cheddar cheese and grill over direct medium-high heat for approximately 5 minutes.

Remove from the grill and top with jalapenos and cilantro. Serve with fresh pico de gallo and guacamole. I say “fresh” because both are so easy to make at home!

Either eat from the plank or serve to plates as an appetizer or dinner. And…either make twice as much or cross your fingers for leftovers. The best use for these potatoes is not now, but tomorrow morning.

Place leftovers into a food processor and pulse until chopped to a uniform size.

Add 2 tablespoons butter to a 10-inch cast-iron skillet and fry the hash until heated through, approximately 10 to 15 minutes.

Serve with fried eggs and prepare to have your mind blown!

There are a lot of parts to this recipe, but the Joule provides plenty of buffer time to get everything done. Plus, if you unexpectedly need more time, the steak can hang cooking in more of its wonderful marinade. It’s primitive plank grilling and modern technology all in one fantastic meal.