In this post: Steak Fajita Salad with Crispy Potatoes

This impressive Steak Fajita Salad with Crispy Potatoes boasts big, bold flavors and a beautiful rainbow of colors to boot. It’s also completely satisfying and easy to amend, if you need to cater to someone with a certain dietary restriction or preference. You could literally leave the steak out entirely and still have a hearty, filling meal. For me, the sweet/spicy/tangy combo of mango and pickled jalapenos is indispensable – it’s my favorite part – and just know that pickled jalapenos are much milder than fresh. So, don’t be intimidated from sprinkling a few over your bowl.

I like to serve crispy potatoes with this salad because they’re hearty and a little unexpected. This is my favorite method for preparing roasted potatoes and they’re wonderful every time. The key is boiling them for a while before roasting, to tenderize them, and then seasoning liberally with sea salt and not shying away from the olive oil. It may feel almost obscene as you pour it on, glug glug glug, but it’s the key here. It’s okay if the potatoes look like they’re swimming in oil. More than okay, in fact. Texturally, I think golden/yellow potatoes are the best for roasting, but you could get away with whatever you have on hand.

This recipe, while easy, does ask you to chop several things, so to quicken things up, I take some help from the store and use frozen corn (plus, it’s February) and frozen thawed mango. If you want to cut down on prep time even more, grab your favorite bottle of good-quality red wine vinaigrette, and you’ll be good to go. Just don’t forget to sprinkle some chopped cilantro on your salad before serving. As always, you might notice that I try to give a lot of substitutions and options for ingredients – something I do to make these recipes as flexible, accessible and easy as possible. Almost nothing here has to be exact.

Steak Fajita Salad with Crispy Potatoes

This impressive salad boasts big, bold flavors and a beautiful rainbow of colors to boot. It’s also completely satisfying and easy to amend, if you need to cater to someone with a certain dietary restriction or preference. You could literally leave the steak out entirely and still have a hearty, filling meal. For me, the sweet/spicy/tangy combo of mango and pickled jalapenos is indispensable – it’s my favorite part – and just know that pickled jalapenos are much milder than fresh. So, don’t be intimidated from sprinkling a few over your bowl. I like to serve crispy potatoes with this salad because they’re hearty and a little unexpected. This is my favorite method for preparing roasted potatoes and they’re wonderful every time. The key is boiling them for a few minutes before roasting, seasoning liberally with sea salt and not shying away from the olive oil. Texturally, I think golden/yellow potatoes are the best for roasting, but you could get away with whatever you have on hand. This recipe, while easy, does ask you to chop several things, so to quicken things up, I take some help from the store and use frozen corn (plus, it’s February) and frozen thawed mango. If you want to cut down on prep time even more, grab your favorite bottle of good-quality red wine vinaigrette, and you’ll be good to go. Just don’t forget to sprinkle some chopped cilantro on your salad before serving.

Ingredients

For the Steak

1 ½ lbs sirloin steak you can use other cuts, if you prefer
½ cup canola oil plus more for cooking (grapeseed or vegetable oil will work also)
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp tajin seasoning a Mexican spice blend; you can skip this
1 tsp salt + freshly ground black pepper to taste on that

For the Crispy Potatoes

5 or 6 golden/yellow potatoes cut into ½”-inch pieces (this doesn’t have to be exact here)
¼ cup olive oil
2 tsp flaky sea salt such as Maldon
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the salad

1 red bell pepper thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper thinly sliced
10- oz bag of frozen corn thawed
About 8 cups of chopped romaine lettuce give or take
1 cup of fresh or frozen thawed mango cubes (about ½” cubes)
¼ to 1/3 cup pickled jalapenos
Cotija cheese queso fresco or feta also work
1 or 2 avocados thinly sliced

For the dressing

¼ cup canola oil
¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice about 2 juicy limes
2 tsp white or red wine vinegar apple cider vin will work in a pinch
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp honey
½ tsp smoked paprika
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F
30 minutes prior to cooking, place the steaks in a large zip-top plastic bag and add in the oil, chili powder, oregano, cumin, garlic powder, smoked paprika, tajin (if using), and salt and pepper. Close the bag and massage a bit, to mix the ingredients and coat the steak. Place the bag on a plate, or tray on the counter and allow to marinate for 30 minutes (not in the fridge). Steaks shouldn’t be fridge-cold when you cook them – the cold compromises their ability to cook evenly.
In a medium pot, add the potatoes and water to cover. Bring to a boil and boil for about 8 minutes. Drain and pour onto a baking sheet. Add 1/4 cup olive oil and the sea salt (you can use kosher salt, if you prefer) and toss to coat. Roast for 23 to 25 minutes, tossing once, until the potatoes are golden brown and crispy. Set aside.
After 30 minutes, add some canola oil to a large skillet set over med-high heat. Add the marinated steaks, working in batches if necessary, and cook on the first side for 5 minutes. Flip the steaks and cook for 4 to 5 minutes on the other sides, until deeply browned and crusted. Don’t move them once you’ve set them down! Transfer to a baking sheet or plate to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Reduce the heat to medium and (don’t clean out the pan) add the peppers and corn to the pan. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until tender; about 6 to 8 minutes.
To make the salad, arrange a couple cups of chopped romaine on each of four plates/bowls (or however many you’re serving). Place some sliced steak on top, followed by some crispy potatoes, mango cubes, sliced avocado, the cooked bell pepper + corn, some pickled jalapenos, and some cheese. Pour a little dressing over top and serve.