Another busy weekend. My older guy ran for the track team and did his first 800 meter for the season. That probably had something to do with him asking for steak for dinner. The botanical garden, in the neighborhood, was having their annual plant sale. The guys wanted to “surprise” me for Mother’s Day.

When it’s plant sale time, we get our red Radio Flyer wagon and head to the botanical garden. We walk back along the slate sidewalk as the plants bounce around in the wagon. The guys came back with some herbs for the herb garden we made last year.

We decided to use our herbs and make a chimichurri sauce for flank steak. They love to have chimichurri on grilled meat. It works well with grilled chicken or pork too. Drizzled on grilled vegetables, this blend of fresh herbs and olive oil is a favorite for dinner by the pool.

Chimichurri is a condiment for grilled meat. There are varying stories of how the name originated. It’s a mix of fresh herbs with an acid like red wine vinegar. Sometimes I use lemon juice. I thought for sure my Meyer lemon tree would be ready to give me some juicy lemons. Sigh, no.

Even worse. One of the still-green lemons got knocked from the tree, when the dog was convinced he would catch THIS squirrel, skittering along the fence.

We used the little green lemon. The wonderfully gentle tartness of the Meyer lemon juice still came through in flavor. We used chives, thyme, rosemary, chopped garlic, extra virgin olive oil, and lemon juice. The grilled steak flavor is mixed, with the fresh herbs in the chimichurri, and the brightness of the vinegar or lemon juice. We also added some lemon thyme which helped boost the lemon flavor.

I made the potatoes my guys like with steak. Red potatoes get a coating of olive oil and some kosher salt. The dish goes in a hot oven set at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes. When a knife easily slides through the potatoes, they are cooked. After a few minutes to cool, the potatoes are cut into pieces and grilled. It gives you a potato that is creamy on the inside with a crunchy outer layer.

Chimichurri is one of those recipes that calls for fresh herbs. No dried spices. When the herbs are the force of the flavor – fresh is the only way to go. I was almost ready to serve when my older guy pointed out we forgot to add some basil. Nice save.