Monday: 24 Burgers, Crispy Shredded Potatoes & Steak Salads

Happy Labor Day!

I had planned to make waffles this morning, but then I remembered that my kids convinced me to buy bagels at Costco yesterday.

So waffles got bumped.

Instead, I made a fresh batch of bacon, pulled out the bagels, and breakfast was done.

Getting Chris’ Eggs Ready for the Next Two Mornings

While I was already at the stove, I also prepped Chris’s eggs for the next couple of mornings.

I’ve shared this before, but this works surprisingly well if you like an over-easy egg but want to make it ahead.

I get a pan really hot, crack in the eggs and let them cook just until they’re firm enough to flip.

The second they’re flippable, I flip them.

Then almost immediately, I transfer them into glass containers. The yolks are still very runny at this point, which is exactly what I want.

In the morning, Chris will add some cooked pork sausage and microwave everything for about 45 seconds.

That little bit of microwave time finishes the eggs, but the yolks still end up over-easy instead of completely cooked through.

Two breakfasts ready while I’m already standing at the stove making bacon.

If I’m Grilling Burgers, I’m Grilling 24

Since it was Labor Day, burgers felt appropriate for lunch.

I pulled out the ground beef I bought at Costco yesterday and made burger patties.

Nothing fancy goes into my burgers.

Ground beef and salt.

That’s it.

And I made 24 patties because 24 patties fit on my grill.

If 30 fit, I’d probably make 30.

I LOVE having cooked burger patties in the refrigerator. They’re one of those proteins that are just as useful on Tuesday afternoon as they were when I originally made them.

Someone needs lunch? Burger.

I’m hungry and need a substantial snack? Burger.

Need an easy dinner component? Burgers are already cooked.

If I’m already standing at the grill, I want to make that time count.

The Crispy Potatoes Everyone Loves

Alongside the burgers, I made a double batch of our crispy shredded potatoes.

I buy the frozen shredded potatoes from Trader Joe’s and dump them into my extra-deep half-sheet pan.

Then I add:

• Plenty of oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Garlic powder

I bake them at 425°F convection for a solid 25–30 minutes.

And every 10 minutes or so, I pull the pan out and toss everything around with a metal spatula.

Don’t rush them.

I want them crispy.

By the time they’re finished, they’re almost like a pan full of tiny French fries.

Everyone in my family loves these.

We added pickles, fruit and fresh vegetables, and that was our Labor Day lunch.

And now, perhaps more importantly, there are leftover burgers in my refrigerator for the week.

Getting Dinner Started Before the Pool

This afternoon, I also got my flank steak marinating.

For the steak, I used:

• Olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Garlic powder
• Smoked paprika
• Cumin
• Oregano

I rubbed the seasoning all over the flank steak, covered it and put it into the refrigerator.

Then we headed to the pool for the last day of the season.

And, of course, because it was the final day, they apparently needed help getting rid of the remaining ice cream treats.

My children were willing to make that sacrifice.

Grilling the Flank Steak

As soon as we got home, one of the first things I did was pull the steak out of the refrigerator so it could lose some of that refrigerator chill while we got kids bathed and settled.

Then I fired up the grill.

With flank steak, I flip it about every three minutes and keep checking the temperature.

Tonight I was aiming for around 135–140°F.

Once it’s done, I let it rest and then slice it really thin against the grain.

Big Steak Salads for Dinner

While the steak was grilling, I got everything ready for big steak salads.

I started with lettuce, boiled some eggs and chopped all the toppings.

We had things like:

• Hard-boiled eggs
• Olives
• Onion
• Fresh vegetables
• Thinly sliced flank steak
• Vinaigrette

I also cooked a little pasta.

And, as usual, this could become whatever dinner each person wanted it to be.

Chris wanted the works, so he had the big salad with steak, hard-boiled egg, olives, onions and vinaigrette.

Some of the kids don’t want a giant mixed salad.

That’s fine.

They can have steak, pasta and vegetables separately on their plates.

It’s still the exact same dinner.

My Basic Vinaigrette

I make this one all the time and rarely measure it, but the basic formula is:

• Olive oil
• Vinegar
• Dijon mustard
• Honey
• Garlic powder
• Italian seasoning
• Salt
• Pepper

Whisk it together and taste.

Need more acid? Add vinegar.

Too sharp? More honey or olive oil.

It doesn’t need to be complicated.

And with that steak and all the salad toppings, it was so good tonight.

Setting Up the Rest of the Week

I packed a full portion of the steak salad components for Chris to take for lunch tomorrow.

Then I thinly sliced the remaining flank steak and put it into the refrigerator.

There’s not enough left for another full family dinner, but there’s definitely enough to turn into something.

I’m thinking steak nachos would be really good for snack later this week.