As a long time cook I am well aware that nearly nothing I make is a completely original creation. In most cases I probably couldn’t tell you what the original dish that inspired me was. It may have been something I saw in a cookbook, a magazine or on television several years ago. It may have been a dish I used to make when I cooked professionally, well over 20 years ago. Regardless, for some reason the concept of the dish stuck with me, and I feel compelled to revisit it at some later date with no real guidance at all save my memories of the flavor combinations. This dish is not one of those.
In this case, I know precisely what inspired me. When I saw Peter’s recipe for “Steak Sandwich, Greek Style” on his blog, Souvlaki for the Soul, I knew I would be doing something similar. The concept itself was simply brilliant. A simple and elegant combination of flavors that I could not begin to find fault with. Even though Peter’s “steak” was actually lamb, which is quite a luxury item here in Texas. ($8.99-$12.99 per pound), I was pretty certain I could come up with something along the same lines using beef, which we have in abundance around these parts (And can be found for less than $1.00 per pound, if you know where to look.).
The result? According to Mrs. Seat of her Pants, this was one of the best dishes of the year. I think I have to agree, really. In the end though, I owe the idea to Peter, who got the gears in my head spinning. It’s a very nice and very rare occasion to be able to give credit where it is due and I’m glad to be able to do so.
I, My wife and our stomachs thank you, mate!

Steak and Field Green Salad with Tzatziki and Feta Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 – 2 lbs flank or chuck steak.
- 1 cup yogurt.
- 3 cloves garlic, minced.
- Salad greens of your choice.
- 1/4 block of feta cheese, crumbled.
- Tzatziki Sauce (recipe here
- 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
Instructions
- Mix together yogurt and garlic. Pour mixture into a 1 quart storage bag. Place steak in bag, squeezing out as much air as possible. Squeeze yogurt mixture so that it evenly coats steak. Refrigerate at minimum 8 hours, preferably 24 hours to allow the enzymes in the yogurt to tenderize and flavor the meat.
- After marinating, remove steak from storage bag and discard marinade. Rinse steak under cold running water and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Heat a large, heavy bottomed skillet over medium high heat. Add olive oil and cook steak approximately 4 minutes per side, or until desired wellness. (This varies with the type of steak. For a skirt or flank, 2 minutes per side will probably do just fine.)
- Remove steak from heat and cover loosely with foil for 5-8 minutes.
- Arrange greens on serving plate. Slice steak thinly against the grain and arrange over greens. Spoon 2-4 tbsp. Tatziki sauce over steak. Sprinkle with crumbled feta.
- Serve and enjoy.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1052Total Fat: 70gSaturated Fat: 27gTrans Fat: 4gUnsaturated Fat: 39gCholesterol: 332mgSodium: 375mgCarbohydrates: 6gFiber: 1gSugar: 5gProtein: 100g
What I would have done differently had I thought of it at the time:
I really can’t think of anything I would have done differently, this dish was outstanding. I do think it would be just as wonderful over spinach and arugula, and a few sauteed crimini mushrooms would be nice as well, but definitely not necessary for this to be a complete meal.
Links to other recipes like this:
- Steak Sandwich, Greek Style, from my friend Peter at Souvlaki For the Soul
Hey Jerry! Thanks for that. You seem to be doing more Greek cooking than I do lately…glad you liked the idea and worked it into one of your own recipes. Btw, lamb is about the same price as a Sydney mortgage here in Australia! So I can relate to that! Cheers
Mmm…this sounds like a great combination of flavors! Anything I can do to add more feta to my diet…
Peter,
I’d call this “Greek Inspired” rather than Greek, but it was definitely enough of a winner that I’ll be messing with variations on the theme.
Charcuterisa,
I’m with you! Any excuse for more feta or goat cheese!
Lydia,
I think the next time I make this I’ll add some freshly diced tomato and make some pita-crisp croutons. thanks for the idea!
KellyPea,
I rinsed the steak simply because the yogurt will burn in a hot skillet, Not the desired effect at all!
This is one of our favorite summer barbecue dishes, with lamb or beef. Sometimes we wrap the whole thing in a nice fresh pita.
Looks and sounds tasty — but you stopped me cold on the rinsing part. Really? I would never have thought of rinsing after marinating…
Tzatziki, feta, steak…..I’d say that stellar combination piled on a mound of old socks would still result in a clean plate! Thanks Jerry. Great idea for using that hunk of meat I usually end up bring home in the ‘foiled swan’.
Patricia,
You bring the meat home? Wow, I usually end up carting veggies ;)
Oh Man, reading that article got me from being hungry to starving. :)
I might cook that meal for my girlfriend on Sunday.
Regards