I just can’t remain silent any longer. Every day I scan the Foodsphere media for hard news and back-grounder post ideas. And every day I see something new in the way of ‘listicles’ claiming to showcase the ‘Best of’, or ‘Top 10’ something or other. Gimme me a break!
Grilled Ratatouille: A really outstanding new-or-newstalgic, creative steak side!
If you didn’t know… ‘Listicles’ aren’t stacked popcicles or some other new cult fav treat, either. They’re just lists of recipes or products related by basic theme. And they often help fill space in publications by being illustrated with abundant photos. But what really frosts me about listicles is – they’re often painfully repetitive or just reprise old news.
I loved the line in an old Clark Gable movie in which he played a crusty big-ciy newspaper editor. He explains his old-school approach to the news to a newbie reporter by metaphorizing that running follow-ups or think pieces on hard-news stories is like, “making a salad from old lettuce.”
So, it seems to me, is running too many ‘listicles’. On top of that, listicles have gotten totally out of control. Occasional ‘Best of’ lists aren’t a problem in my bleary old eyes. But seemingly interminable lists such one I found at the Delish website recently push the envelope way past it’s maximum occu-pancy limit…
HOW many sides?
The headline read: ’70 Indulgent Side Dishes For Steak That Go Beyond Baked Potatoes’. HOW many do you need?
I decided to scroll through the first couple of dozen or so and see for myself…
Sure as Hell’s a man-trap and Heaven makes your sweet tooth ache… The solid majority of recipes I saw simply recycled standard steak go-withs like familiar potato dishes , well-known salads, or old faves such as corn-on-the-cob variations. Bit I did find a few refreshingly different ideas I’m going to share with you today…
Some actual new (or ‘newstalgic’) steak sides…
14. Ratatouille
We ran down several screens before we got to No. 14 Ratatouille. A great idea to go with steak! And summery, to mesh nicely with the Grill Season theme the overall article seems to be pushing.
Simmer it down directly on the grill to get a little smoke into it, if you wish. There’s your newstalgic upgrade for this old fave!
17. Grilled Peach Salad
I love this idea! But I can’t endorse some of their topping and dressing suggestions. You’ll see what I mean when you précis the official recipe.
I do like the idea of introducing some crushed or slivered nuts, and some bacon crumbles. Avocado slices should be brilliant with the grille peaches! But I don’t consider them indispensable. Tarragon or Chives (but not both together) are another inspiration. And do go with a sour cream- or yogurt-based dressing…
33. Chili Oil Smashed Potatoes
A truly new, deceptively simple, newstaligic update on smashed spuds! Just 3 ‘official’ ingredients plus garnish.
“Where’s the garlic?” you ask… There’s always some in Chili Oil! And you can add more if you like. A great way to use up leftover boiled or roasted spuds! Experiment with garnishes and complementary additions to the oil! But DO keep it simple… This is a great spicy option.
Chili Oil is always pretty spicy – at least to my taste. Brush on a little at a time until you reach your preferred personal degree of ‘chili pepper perfection’.
35. Grilled Zucchini
I’m not actually endorsing the plain-ish grilled zucchini they spotlight in this rather plain recipe. I AM using it as a placeholder for the innovaive, newstalgic Savoury Zucchini Steaks (see photo, just below) we presented a few days ago in their own separate post…
Simple and elegant, with grill-hearty flavour to complement steak perfectly.
41. Potato Gallette
An ancient French potato ‘form’ with a modern twist. “In this recipe, we’re hitting both crispy and creamy notes (a twofer) with thinly sliced, buttery Yukon Gold potatoes layered with shallots, Parm, garlic, woody herbs, and bacon grease for a rich smoky flavor.”
Just looking over the ingredients list, you KNOW this one is going to be fantastic with a steak!
Cooked right on the grill (rather than, say, a side burner on a gas grill) for a longer or shorter period of time, they’ll pick up more or less smoke, as you prefer.
56. Potatoes Lyonnaise
Another iconic French Potato dish, this one incorporates a classic steak go-with – caramelized onions!
Quick, simple and savoury, to complement the deep, earthy flavour of a perfectly marinated ribeye. “All you need is some potatoes, some fat, and plenty of salt.”
(See photo, top of page.)
My take
Okay. So I couldn’t resist scrolling the whole 70-recipe list once I got going… But I’m glad I did!
Nevertheless, I only found about half a dozen really outstanding new-or-newstalgic, creative steak sides I felt I could truly get behind and recommend.
My original point in presenting this post is more than supported. I was going to go back and get an accurate count on all the various of Caesar Salads and various Potato dishes they threw into the list to pad it 70. But that would have been just another kind of overkill – one of evils I’m taking this op-portunity to demonize…
Make your next steak cookout the most memorable in years. Try one or more of the aforementioned sides and justify the special expenditure you made on the beef!
~ Maggie J.