Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients:

1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 400.
2. Cut the sweet potatoes into sticks that are about 1/2 inch wide and 3 inches long.
3. Toss sweet potatoes with the olive oil and set aside.
4. Mix the spices, salt, and pepper in a small bowl, and sprinkle them over the sweet potatoes. Cover a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and spread fries on top of it so that none are overlapping.
5. Bake for about 15 minutes until golden brown and crisp on the bottom. Then, turn them over and cook until the other side is crisp – for about 10 minutes more.

Pro-tip: Prior to cooking, soak pre-cut sweet potatoes in water for an hour. This will help make the fries crisper.

Pan-Seared Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

For the Steak:

Sea Salt and Black Pepper
1 1/2 pounds skirt steak (cut it in half, crosswise)

For the Chimichurri Sauce:

1/2 cup red wine vinegar
3-4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 jalapeño, finely chopped
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh oregano
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
Steak:
1. Lightly salt the steak and let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Using paper towels, pat dry and season a second time with salt and black pepper.
2. Set a lightly greased cast iron pan on the stovetop, and set to medium-high heat. Cook steak 3-4 minutes per side until meat is pleasantly charred and medium-rare.
3. Transfer steak to a carving board and let it rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing.
4. When you're ready to slice, find the direction of the grain (which way the muscle fibers are aligned), then slice across the grain rather than parallel with it. 
5. Serve with Chimichurri Sauce.

Chimichurri Sauce:
1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until well combined. Please note: the consistency will be soup-like.
Optional: Prepare your Chimichurri sauce ahead of time and marinate your skirt steak for at least 3 hours or overnight prior to cooking. Then, top reserve sauce over cooked meat.

MetPro Phase Notes: Make sure you are correctly proportioning the fat (olive oil and steak) for your specific meal phase.