Belated Great Food Friday: Company's Coming!

So I'm a little behind on this one...I was on vacation!
I usually like to try to grill when we've got people coming over, especially in summer - our little house gets pretty hot with the oven on, plus the grill is easier to hide...er, I mean clean up.

Marinated Grilled Flank Steak

This marinade is quick and delicious. The addition of vinegar speeds up the marinating process. Don't forget to cut the flank steak on the bias or you'll end up with fancy beef jerky!

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon grill seasoning blend (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning)
1 teaspoon smoked paprika, ground chipotle chili powder or ground cumin
2 teaspoon hot sauce - eyeball it
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 2 splashes
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds flank steak

Mix garlic, steak seasoning, smoked paprika, chipotle or cumin, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce and vinegar. Whisk in extra-virgin olive oil. Place meat in shallow dish and coat it evenly in marinade. Let stand 15 minutes. Grill flank steak 6 to 7 minutes on each side. Remove flank steak from grill and let juices redistribute before slicing. Thinly slice meat on an angle, cutting the meat against the grain.

I like to serve this with mashed baked potatoes..your basic mashed potatoes with extra butter, fresh ground pepper, sour cream, shredded cheddar and green onion or chives mixed in. I don't have any measurements for this recipe, I just lob as much in as looks good that day. I highly recommend you try your mash with yukon gold potatoes, they're super creamy and delicious.

As a veg, I usually go with a tossed green salad of some sort or roasted asparagus or broccoli. If you've never roasted your vegetables, you have to try it - it gives them a completely different flavor - nutty and delicious! Here's a simple recipe I use a lot:

Roasted Chili Garlic Broccoli

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, eyeball it
5 to 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon grill seasoning blend (recommended:Montreal Steak Seasoning )
1 large head broccoli, cut into thin, long spears

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, chili powder and grill seasoning in the bottom of a large bowl and add the broccoli spears. Toss to coat broccoli evenly then transfer to a large nonstick baking sheet. Roast the broccoli until ends are crisp and brown and stalks are tender, 17 to 20 minutes.

The flank steak and the broccoli are bastardized Rachael Ray recipes (if you can't already tell from the liberal use of Montreal Steak Seasoning) - I must give credit where credit's due!