Garlic Steak & Cheesy Bacon Potato Hash Foil Packs

At first glance, this looked to be a really simple no-dishwashing, one pot recipe.  Well, after making it, I realized not only were there 5 bowls to wash (see ingredients photo at end), a laundry list of do's and don'ts to read (see directions), bacon and garlic butter to prepare ahead of time and multiple in-and-out of the oven occasions, not to mention a ton of aluminum foil (3 packets) needed to hold the various ingredients.  In the end, the packets tore, releasing juice and potatoes and the vegetables, although cooked for more time than required, were underdone.  Was it tasty?  Yes.  Was it worth the effort? No.

6 servings

20 calculated points

Merlot

Ingredients

• 1 ⁄2 cup garlic butter (divided)
• 26 ounces baby Yukon potatoes ((or 750 grams) washed (peeled or unpeeled), cut into 1-inch pieces )
• 1 ⁄4 cup onion (diced)
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley (finely chopped)
• Salt (to taste)
• Cracked black pepper (to taste)
• 1 ⁄3 cup diced bacon (cooked)
• 1 ⁄3 cup scallions ((or green onions/shallots) sliced)
• 2 pounds whole eye fillet (or ribeye) steak ((or 1 kg)* AT ROOM TEMPERATURE. Pat dry with paper towel for best results.)
• Salt (to taste)
• Cracked black pepper (to taste)
• 1 ⁄4 cup cheddar cheese (shredded)
• 1 ⁄4 cup mozzarella cheese (shredded)

Directions

Preheat grill to medium-high heat.

Make a batch of this Garlic Butter. Divide in half and melt in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. Combine the potatoes and the onions in a bowl. Pour the melted garlic butter over the top; set aside.

Spread the remaining non-melted butter over the steak to evenly coat.

Slice your fillet into 2-inch thick slices (if the pieces are too small they will dry out). If you like your steak dry, cut them smaller.

Cut your fillet into 4-inch long pieces (see above pictures or video for reference). The bigger you cut them, the more juicy the steak will be once its done. For rarer steaks, but them bigger (5 or 6 inch pieces).

Tear four or six 15-inch (40cm) pieces of heavy duty foil and arrange on your kitchen counter or bench top. Divide steaks and potatoes among the top half of the foil sheets. Sprinkle with parsley, and season with salt and pepper

Fold up the sides of the foil first over the steak and potatoes, then fold up the entire bottom half of the foil over the ingredients to join the ends. Fold down to seal, pressing the seal tightly to prevent any juices from spilling out.

Place foil packets on the HOT grill, cover and cook for 7 minutes on one side. Flip and cook on the other side for a further 5 minutes, until potatoes are cooked through, (about 12 minutes all together). CAREFULLY open the foil packets (being careful of the escaping steam). Sprinkle the cheese over the potatoes, and loosely tent with the foil again to allow the cheese to melt through for a further 3 minutes while still on the grill.

Top the potatoes with the cooked bacon, garnish with the scallions (or green onions), and season with a little extra salt and pepper, if needed.

Make sure you use baby Yukon Gold and cut them into 1-inch pieces to ensure they cook through. Yukon gold potatoes are the best for these foil packs. Any other potato, I suggest par boiling them for 5-10 minutes depending on what potato you are using. Some potatoes take forever to cook! You’ll need to use you discretion. If you like larger potato pieces, you will need to boil them first.

Only expensive cuts of meat will work here that stay tender during cooking. Cheaper cuts WILL produce a tough and leathery result.

Make sure your steak is at ROOM TEMPERATURE! Pat them dry with a paper towel to prevent the meat from releasing too much water and steaming or boiling rather than charring.

YES, the meat DOES char through the foil when grilling! If using your oven, make sure you broil in the last 5 minutes of cooking for a charred result!

FOR juicy WELL DONE Steaks: make sure to cut your steak into 2×2-inch pieces (1-inch thick) to guarantee even cooking with the potatoes.

FOR juicy MEDIUM RARE Steaks: Cut your fillet into 4-inch long and 3-inch thick pieces (see above pictures or video for reference). The bigger and thicker you cut them, the more juicy the steak will be once its done!

For rarer steaks, cut them bigger (5-inch pieces and 4-inch thick).

Make sure your grill or skillet pan is HOT! It needs to be hot or your packets will simmer and boil on the inside.

To get the steak to char on the inside, you can flip your packets half way through cooking time. They WILL char.