Steak & Potato Skewers with Grilled Caprese Salad

I know I have not been consistent at all recently with my blog but with my youngest daughter's wedding behind us I'm sure I'll be back stronger than ever.  The past week or so has been a whirlwind of activities.  We had different family members fly in for a week and so I loved the challenge of preparing some of my favorite meals for everyone.  I also did the cooking for bridal luncheon and I made a brunch for about 40 people for Father's Day.

The wedding was a lovely affair on Saturday night and everything went perfectly according to plan.  I have three girls and this was the last one to get married.  Now we can sit back and wait for more grandchildren to spoil.

It was kind of nice to get back into a routine of planning and cooking for two people tonight.  With a total of eight ingredients tonight (excluding salt and pepper) this was a very simple dinner to pull together but you would never guess that by the taste.  I used beef tenderloin for the steak and red potatoes for the potato skewers which were both drizzled with olive oil and seasoned generously with salt and pepper.

The grilled salad was a fun play on a traditional caprese salad using tomato slices, fresh mozzarella slices but the tomatoes were grilled and the cheese was added to melt slightly before being stacked.  I served these on a pool of summer basil sauce which happened to go beautifully with the steak and potatoes.  We absolutely loved every bit of this dinner. 

Steak and Potato Skewers with Grilled Caprese Salad
Makes 2 servings (2 steak skewers, 2 potato skewers, 2 tomatoes)

For the skewers:
3 yellow or red new potatoes, halved (5-6 oz. total)
1/2 pound beef tenderloin or sirloin, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and black pepper

For the salad:
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
2 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoon grated Parmesan
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 large tomatoes, sliced horizontally into thirds
3 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into 4 slices

If using wooden skewers, soak for 20 to 30 minutes.

Preheat grill to medium-high.

Boil potatoes in a pot of salted water until tender when pierced, about 10 minutes.  Drain; cool slightly.

While the potatoes are cooling, make the basil sauce.  Process basil, 1 1/2 tablespoon oil, vinegar, Parmesan, salt, and pepper in a food processor until smooth.

Thread beef chunks evenly onto 2 skewers and potato halves on remaining 2 skewers.  Drizzle skewers with oil, then season with salt and pepper.  Set aside.

Slice tomatoes and coat slices with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoon oil, season with salt and pepper.

Grill beef skewers, covered, to desired doneness (about 3 minutes per side for medium-rate).  Grill potatoes, covered, until brown and crisp on the outside, 4-5 minutes.  Remove steak and potatoes from the grill, tent with foil, and rest 5 minutes.  While skewers rest, grill tomatoes, covered, on one side for 1 minute, then flip (do not flip the tops).

Arrange cheese on flipped tomato slices and grill until it begins to melt, 1-2 more minutes.  Assemble stacks with 2 cheese-topped slices and 1 top.  Serve with the basil sauce.

Adapted from Cuisine at Home Grilling