A Twist on Steak & Potatoes

I love watching Paula Deen on the Food Network, especially when she bakes (which seems to be most of the time). I can't wait to make her strawberry shortcake recipe this summer. And I definitely appreciate her love of butter. On one show I saw recently, they brought out a bust of her carved out of butter. I can only hope someone does the same for me one day. I watched an episode of her show last weekend, where her son was a guest and they cooked some of his recipes together. A couple of them looked pretty good, so I decided to give them a try last night - balsamic-glazed London broil and cinnamon sweet potato wedges. I also made sauteed spinach. The sweet potatoes were my favorite thing on the plate...really soft, and sweet and salty at the same time. Below are the recipes- I made some very minor changes to them.



Balsamic-glazed London broil (for 2):
1 (1-pound) London broil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 garlic clove, smashed and peeled
1 bay leaf

Preheat the broiler and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.

Season the meat with the salt and pepper. In a large skillet over low heat, combine the vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, and bay leaf. Simmer until the liquid has reduced by half and is a syrupy consistency, about 5 minutes. Discard the garlic and bay leaf.

Put the meat on the baking sheet and slather it with the glaze. Broil the meat 4 inches from the heat until it reaches the desired level of doneness, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Remove from the broiler to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Thinly slice the meat against the grain and transfer it to a serving platter.

**The recipe actually calls for a 3 lb. London broil, but that was too much meat for 2 people. I used the same amount of glaze though, so if you did want to make for more people I would double the amount of glaze.

Baked sweet potato wedges (for 2):
3 tablespoons butter
3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 sweet potatoes, peeled
1 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the cinnamon. Add the potato wedges to the butter and toss to combine. Season the potatoes with the salt and pepper.

Spread the potatoes in an even layer on a baking sheet. Roast the potatoes, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven to a serving dish and serve.