Meat and Tomatoes

Roasting tomatoes, especially with a little garlic and olive oil, gives them a wonderful depth of flavor. But roasting takes awhile--longer than you may want to wait for dinner.

Here’s a shortcut: Roast cherry tomatoes. They’re ready in less than half the time, and with the same delicious results. Try combining them in a steak sandwich with crisp watercress dressed in a mustardy vinaigrette.

Serve these with flavored potato chips such as honey-mustard or salt-and-malt-vinegar chips. And who’s to argue with sweet, fresh strawberries for dessert?

Plates, bowls and napkins from Crate & Barrel.

Look for yellow and orange cherry tomatoes, in addition to the usual red, for a more festive presentation.

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Grilled Steak and Roasted Tomato Sandwiches

Active Work Time: 20 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 30 minutes

1 1/2 pounds cherry tomatoes (about 1 quart)

5 tablespoons olive oil, divided

3 cloves garlic, sliced very thinly

Salt, pepper

1 pound rib-eye or top sirloin steak, or 4 (4-ounce) steaks

8 slices crusty sourdough bread

1 1/2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard

2 teaspoons prepared horseradish

3 tablespoons Sherry vinegar

3 cups watercress leaves

Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Heat the grill to medium-high.

Cut the tomatoes in half and place in a baking pan, cut side up. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, scatter with the garlic and season with salt and pepper. Roast, stirring once or twice, until the tomatoes have softened and smell great, about 20 minutes.

While the tomatoes roast, season the steak with salt and pepper and grill until medium rare about, 3 to 4 minutes each side. Set aside.

Toast the bread while the steak cooks. Set aside.

Combine the mustard, horseradish and vinegar in a small bowl. Whisk in the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss the vinaigrette with the watercress.

To assemble the sandwiches, slice the steak as thinly as possible and divide among 4 of the bread slices. Top the steak with the roasted tomatoes and the watercress, then the remaining bread slices.

4 sandwiches. Each sandwich: 752 calories; 927 mg sodium; 102 mg cholesterol; 35 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 65 grams carbohydrates; 43 grams protein; 4.98 grams fiber.

MENU

Grilled Steak and Roasted Tomato Sandwiches

Potato Chips

Fresh Strawberries

STAPLES

Garlic

Olive oil

Prepared horseradish

Whole-grain mustard

Sherry vinegar

SHOPPING LIST

1 loaf sourdough bread

1 1/2 pounds cherry tomatoes

Potato chips

1 pound rib-eye or sirloin steak

Strawberries

Watercress

COUNTDOWN

30 minutes before: Heat oven and grill. Rinse strawberries.

25 minutes before: Prepare tomatoes and roast.

15 minutes before: Grill steak. Toast bread. Make vinaigrette.

5 minutes before: Assemble sandwiches.