Steak Salad with Bleu Cheese: my take on the steakhouse staple

Nearly every steakhouse in America offers some variation on the steak and bleu cheese salad.  I added it to my standard repertoire after realizing that I'm a sucker for that combination of flavors.  This entree salad is perfect for nights when I don't have a lot of time to spend on meal prep, but still want something delicious.

Homemade creamy bleu cheese dressing is the star in this presentation.  Super sweet cherry tomatoes, purple onion dices, raw walnuts, and bits of grilled steak top a bed of fresh iceberg lettuce.  One head of iceberg serves two as an entree, or four as a starter "wedge" style salad.

Dressing Ingredients

3-4 oz bleu cheese, plus an additional 2-3 oz to top salads
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup sour cream
3 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1/4 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp garlic powder
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Salad Ingredients

head of iceberg
handful cherry tomatoes, halved
handful raw walnuts
approx 2 tbsp purple onion, diced
8-12 oz. of steak (for 2 entrees)

Directions

1.  In a small bowl, mash 3-4 oz. of bleu cheese together with buttermilk until the mixture resembles cottage cheese.

2.  Stir in the sour cream, mayo, white wine vinegar, sugar, and garlic powder.  Refrigerate.

3.  Slice the iceberg head in half for large entree-size salads, or quarters for appetizer wedge-style salads. Place the lettuce sections on individual plates.  Gently crush the sections to slightly flatten them.

4.  Add cherry tomatoes and purple onion dices.  Refrigerate the plates.

5.  Lightly salt and pepper the steak, then grill on high heat to preferred doneness.  Remove steak to a plate and allow to sit for up to 5 minutes.

6.  Meanwhile, taste the chilled salad dressing.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Spoon some dressing over the chilled salads and refrigerate the remaining dressing in a sealed container.

7.  Cut up the steak and blot up excess juice with a paper towel.

8.  Add the steak, walnuts, and bleu cheese crumbles to top the salad.  Voila!

Serve with a knife and fork.

Note:  The dressing will keep in the fridge for up to two weeks if fresh dairy products are used.