French onion steak bites with blue cheese wedges

Tri-tip is one of those cuts of meat that I'm almost tempted to gatekeep because it's affordable and doesn't require a long cooking time. While it doesn't have the marbled quality of, say, a ribeye, it's fantastic in this dish. With a quick saute, the beef stays tender, and you'll get all the richness you need from the butter.

Serves 4 | Prep: 15 minutes | Cook: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 head of iceberg lettuce, cut into 8 wedges
• 2 cups chopped cherry tomatoes (from 1 pint)
• 6 radishes, sliced
• 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
• 1/4 cup chopped chives, divided
• 2 tsp neutral oil
• 1 ½ lb (680g) tri-tip steak, cut into 1-inch (2.5cm) cubes
• 5 tbsp salted butter
• 1 tbsp French onion seasoning, preferably Dan-O's
• 4 garlic cloves, grated or minced
• Dressing, such as blue cheese, to serve

Method:

1. On a large platter, arrange the iceberg lettuce wedges and top with the tomatoes, radishes, blue cheese, and half the chives. Place in the refrigerator while you cook the steak.
2. To a medium skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil. Once shimmering, add the steak, and cook undisturbed for 3 to 4 minutes to form a crust. Stir, then add the butter and French onion seasoning and reduce the heat to medium. Cook for another 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned all over.
3. Add the garlic and the remaining chives, then immediately remove from the heat and stir for 30 seconds.
4. Drizzle your dressing of choice over the salad and serve alongside the steak bites.

Don't mess it up!

When you're adding minced garlic to a pan that's already this hot, it can easily burn to oblivion in seconds . . . and taint all this beautiful beef. That's why you must kill the heat as soon as you add the garlic, making sure to stir and remove it from the stove immediately.

DIY dressing

If you want to whip up your own quick blue cheese vinaigrette, add 4 ounces of blue cheese crumbles to a small food processor with 1/4 cup olive oil, cup milk, 1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar, and a pinch of black pepper; process until smooth.