Churrasco with Chimichurri & Patatas Bravas

Two dishes that came together by accident and stayed together on purpose. The churrasco is the gaucho's table — flat meat, live fire, a sauce that's been riding alongside it for centuries. The patatas bravas are Spanish at the bones but went sideways once we started reaching for what we already had in the kitchen. Crispy potatoes, smoky tomato-jalapeño sauce, a cool dollop of garlic chive yogurt, a snow of cotija on top.

Open the wine first. The rest is quick.

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Churrasco with Chimichurri

Serves 2–4

Ingredients

Chimichurri

• 1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• ½ cup cold-pressed single-source extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2–3 roasted chili peppers, minced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• Cloister salt and black pepper, to taste

Churrasco

• 1+ lb flat meat (skirt or flank steak)
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• Chimichurri, for basting and plating

Method

1. Make the chimichurri. Combine parsley, olive oil, red wine vinegar, roasted chili peppers, and garlic. Season with Cloister salt and black pepper. Stir well. Let it rest at least 30 minutes — it gets better as it sits. Make it first. Make it an hour ahead if you can.

2. Prep the meat. Pull the steak from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. Pat dry. Season generously with salt and pepper on both sides. Drizzle with olive oil.

3. Sear. Get your pan or grill as hot as it will go. Sear 3–4 minutes per side for medium rare. Don't move it. Let it build a crust.

4. Rest and slice. Rest the meat 5–8 minutes. Slice against the grain. Plate and douse immediately in chimichurri. Put extra on the table.

Serve with crisp bread to drag through the sauce. Don't let any of it go to waste.

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Patatas Bravas — Our Way

A Spanish classic with a few things we had on hand that made it better. Serves 4.

Ingredients

Potatoes

• 2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, diced into roughly 1-inch chunks
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp regular paprika
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp black pepper

Bravas sauce

• 2 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and roughly chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp regular paprika
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp Greek oregano
• Salt, to taste

Topping

• ½ cup nonfat Greek yogurt
• 2 tbsp fresh garlic chives, finely chopped
• Cotija cheese, crumbled, to taste
• Flaky salt, to finish

Method

1. Boil the potatoes. Cover diced potatoes with cold salted water. Bring to a boil and cook 10–12 minutes — just until barely fork tender. You want resistance still in the center. Drain and let steam dry 5 minutes. Give them a rough shake in the colander to rough up the edges. That's where the crust comes from.

2. Season and air fry. Toss potatoes in olive oil, both paprikas, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Air fry at 400°F for 18–20 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through, until deeply golden and crispy.

3. Make the bravas sauce. In a small saucepan, heat olive oil over medium. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add jalapeño, tomatoes, both paprikas, and oregano. Cook down 10–12 minutes until thickened. Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust salt.

4. Make the garlic chive yogurt. Stir together Greek yogurt, garlic chives, and a pinch of salt. Let it sit while the potatoes finish. It gets better as it rests.

5. Plate. Spoon bravas sauce over the crispy potatoes. Add dollops of the garlic chive yogurt. Finish with crumbled cotija and flaky salt. Serve immediately.

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Bryan's note

A bottle of red wants this plate. The one in the photo is a Prelude 2023 from Apalta — Chilean Cabernet, plenty of structure for the chimichurri and the smoke in the bravas sauce. Anything similar works. Pour, sit, slice, drag the bread through what's left on the plate. That's the whole point.