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Warm Steak and Crispy Potato Salad with Pickled Ranch. Grilled steak topped with garlic butter that melts over each slice with flakes of sea salt, slow-roasted English potatoes, crisp romaine lettuce, creamy avocado, and our favorite tangy pickled ranch dressing. This summer dinner salad is simple to throw together and never disappoints. Especially on warm summer nights when an easy dinner is a must. Use any cut of steak you love, or swap in grilled chicken if preferred.
You may have seen this one coming, or maybe guessed I’d do something with the leftover English roast potatoes. But I really meant it when I said on Monday that I now make my English potato recipe almost weekly. We’ve officially decided it’s our favorite way to enjoy potatoes. I’ve even started using the same method for sweet potatoes too!
The funny thing is, the whole reason I wanted to make those English potatoes in the first place was because I had this idea for a really good steak salad that I just knew would become one of our go-to summer dinners.
Since moving to Miami, I’ve made this salad with the steak, potatoes, and ranch at least five different times. I actually kept count because I was either using leftover Sunday night potatoes or making a fresh batch again on Monday. We seriously cannot get enough of both recipes.
My sister loves anything pickled, so of course, she’s obsessed with the dressing. My mom and brothers are all about the steak and potatoes, while my dad just loves the whole salad. It’s actually a little inspired by the big summer salads he used to make for us when we were growing up in Cleveland. His were more kitchen-sink style, but just as delicious.
I’m really excited to be grilling so much now that I’m living somewhere warm, so I hope you’re ready for a summer full of easy grilling recipes, big dinner salads, and simple meals like this one.
On to the details
The Ingredients
For the Salad
- salted butter
- garlic powder, or try using 1-2 cloves of grated garlic
- grilled steak, I do tenderloins, ribeyes, and New York strips
- flaked sea salt
- shredded romaine lettuce
- pepperoncini
- avocadoes
- crumbles of feta or blue cheese – I use blue cheese and always add some cheese to the garlic butter too
- English roast potatoes
For the Pickled Ranch
- mayo
- buttrmilk
- pickles and the pickle brine
- fresh dill
- fresh parsley
- fresh chives
- onion and garlic powder
- black pepper
Kitchen Tools
I prefer grilling the steaks, but you can cook them however you like best. You’ll also need a jar for mixing up the dressing. I always try to use an almost empty pickle jar or the end of a mayo jar so nothing goes to waste.
And of course, a big salad bowl is a must. My favorite bowls always come from Williams Sonoma, Crate & Barrel, or Anthropologie. I love a pretty wooden bowl for everyday dinners. Here are a few I found at Williams-Sonoma:
Open Kitchen x William Sonoma Salad Bowl
Here are some I found on Anthropologie:
Solid Acacia Wood Serve Bowl with Beaded Handle
I also love a good bowl for entertaining, or something festive for the summer holidays, like this cute American flag bowl.
These are the Steps
Step 1: Grill the Steak
Grill the steak until cooked to your liking. I usually grill a couple of tenderloins, a ribeye, and a New York strip, depending on who’s eating with us. Or, if preferred, you can swap in grilled chicken instead.
In a small bowl, mix together the butter and garlic powder. As soon as the steak comes off the grill, top each piece with the garlic butter and let it melt right over the warm steak. Slice into strips before serving.
Tip: Let the steak rest for a few minutes before slicing. This keeps it juicy and gives the butter time to melt into every bite.
Personal Note: I use blue cheese in the salad, so I always mix a few cheese crumbles into the garlic butter too.
Step 2: Make the Pickled Ranch
Meanwhile, make the pickled ranch dressing. Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a glass jar and shake well until creamy and smooth.
I love using an almost-empty pickle jar or the end of a mayo jar for this. Using the pickle jar adds even more pickle flavor and makes the dressing extra delicious.
Tip: Taste the dressing before tossing the salad. Add more pickle brine for tangier flavor, or a pinch of salt and pepper if needed.
Step 3: Toss the Salad
In a large salad bowl, combine the romaine, pepperoncini, and avocado. Pour the pickled ranch over the salad and toss until everything is evenly coated.
Add the avocado just before tossing so it stays creamy and doesn’t get too smashed.
Step 4: Finish and Serve
Top the salad with the hot crispy potatoes (if using leftovers, just warm them up first), warm the steak slices topped with the crumbles of cheese.
Serve immediately while the potatoes are hot and the steak is still warm. The contrast of crispy potatoes, warm steak, cold crunchy romaine, and creamy ranch is what makes this salad so good!
Steak and Potato Salad with Pickled Ranch
Ingredients
The Salad
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 cups grilled steak, warm and sliced
- 6 cups shredded romaine
- 1/3 cup sliced pepperoncini
- 2 avocados, sliced
- 2 cups roasted potatoes
- 1 cup crumbled feta or blue cheese
Pickled Ranch
- 1/2 cup olive oil mayo
- 1/3 cup buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon pickle brine
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 1/3 cup chopped dill pickles
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- sea salt and black pepper
Instructions
- 1. Grill the steak, or substitute with chicken if preferred. In a bowl, mix together the butter and garlic powder. Top each steak with the butter and allow it to melt. Slice the steaks into strips.2. Meanwhile, make the pickled ranch dressing by combining all ingredients in a glass jar. Shake well to combine.3. In a large salad bowl, combine the romaine, pepperoncini, and avocado. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss until coated.4. Top with the hot crispy potatoes, warm steak slices, and crumbles of cheese. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
This was delicious! The English Roasted potatoes mixed with the dressing and blue cheese crumbles – Chef’s kiss! I don’t think the steak is even necessary, but welcome nonetheless! I used olive oil on the potatoes and Hellman’s regular mayo in the dressing and it was perfect.
Hey Heather,
Thanks for the thoughtful feedback after trying this recipe—happy to hear it was a win.
I can’t wait to make this!! We aren’t blue cheese or goat cheese fans. What other kind of cheese would you recommend?
Thanks so much, Lisa! I think cheddar would also be a nice option here. I hope you love this salad!
Holy cow this was the best dinner I have ever had. Wonderful flavors. Thank you for posting!
Hey Nalani,
Happy Sunday! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was a hit!
This salad was phenomenal. A bit of work with the English roasted potatoes, but so worth it. We used elk tenderloin and our homemade dill pickles. Will definitely be making again.
Hey Kim,
So glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a lot for making it!
Have a wonderful weekend!
I made this tonight for my Monday night dinner group. I made it as recipe states. Everyone enjoyed it! I think it could use more pepperoncinis. The dressing was really tasty! I served it with crusty artisan bread. It was easy and tasty!
Hey Joy,
Love to hear this! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and taking the time to comment!
This was ok, but not my fav. Too many competing flavors and the dressing was really overpowering with garlic.
Thanks for your feedback, Anna. Very sorry to hear the dressing was not enjoyed. Have a great Sunday!
This recipe is going on repeat. We used tenderloin, which is pricey right now, but because it’s in cubes, it doesn’t have to be as high of quality, and you don’t need as much per serving. Instead of using the garlic butter after the steak is cooked, I used Toom, which was amazing. Each bite was delicious, and different as each ingredient paired beautifully with all the others. Definitely a keeper. Light tasting but so satisfying. I let everyone add their own ingredients and supplied both blue cheese and feta so people could pick. I’m not a pepperocini fan so left them off of mine and it was still very flavorful.
Hey there,
Awesome! Thanks for making this recipe and sharing what worked well for you, so glad to hear it was enjoyed!
This dressing is so amazing! Bravo once again!
Hey Marina,
Wonderful! So glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it!
Have a great weekend!
This was fantastic. I added extra garlic to the dressing since I’m a fiend for it, but otherwise prepared it as written, with grilled flat iron steak. Good stuff – thank you!
Thanks so much, Sheri! So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, I appreciate you making it!
I made this last night for dinner and it was a hit! It’s like a twist on steak frites with a side salad and I loved it! Adding the steak and potatoes on top of the salad, with the dill pickle ranch was not just fun, but really delicious and full of flavor! Great combo and easy weeknight meal. Thanks again for the recipe 🙂
Hey Gillian,
Amazing! I appreciate you making this recipe and taking the time to comment, love to hear it was a hit!
The dressing is has a really weird aftertaste. I love garlic but one raw clove plus 1 tablespoon of garlic powder was too much.
Thanks for sharing your feedback, Jordan. Sorry to hear you did not enjoy the dressing!
No recipe for crispy potatoes or amounts??
Hi Nancy,
Here is the recipe for the crispy potatoes:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/english-roast-potatoes/
Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Helloooo! Thanks for all the FABULOUS recipes! Always awesome!
Here’s what might be another “dumb” question… pickle brine…sweet or dill?
Thanks & big blessings to you!
Lisa ; )
Hey Lisa,
Not a dumb question at all:) I love using dill pickle brine. I hope you love this recipe!
This might be a dumb question but is “pickled ranch” just ranch with pickle brine in it? Trying to figure out what makes it “pickled” haha 🙂
Hey Karen,
I also add pickles in the dressing in addition to the brine:) I hope you love this recipe!