Grilled Denver Steak with Smoked Bacon and Buttermilk Blue Cheese Mashed Potatoes, Asparagus and Madeira Sauce

From: Executive chef/owner John Milner, Milner's, Winston-Salem, NC. Yield: 4 servings.

Grilled Denver Steak:

4 10-oz. Denver Steaks, cut from sirloin chuck flap

to taste, salt and pepper

2 Tbsp. olive oil

Asparagus:

1 lb. asparagus

1 Tbsp. butter

to taste, salt

Bacon and Buttermilk Blue Cheese Mashed Potatoes:

1 ½ lb. Idaho russet potatoes

¼ lb. butter

½ cup heavy cream

4 oz. cooked and chopped smoked bacon

4 oz. Buttermilk Blue Cheese (or other mild blue cheese)

2 oz. sliced green onions

to taste, salt and pepper

Madeira Sauce:

4 cups brown veal stock

1 cup Madeira wine

to taste, salt and pepper

For steak: Heat a charcoal or gas grill. Season steaks with salt and pepper and rub lightly with oil. Grill until medium-rare to medium, about 5-7 minutes on each side. Let steaks rest 10 minutes, then slice against the grain. For each serving, mound mashed potatoes on one side of plate and fan steak slices alongside. Garnish with asparagus and spoon Madeira sauce over steak.

For asparagus: Snap or cut off botton end of asparagus. Blanch asparagus in large pot of boiling salted water for two minutes. Drain asparagus, saute in butter and season with salt.

For mashed potatoes: Peel and cut potatoes into ½" slices and place in large pot with 1 gallon salted water. Bring to a simmer and cook until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain potatoes and pass through a food mill or potato ricer into a mixing owl. With a spatula, fold butter and cream into potatoes until smooth. Fold in bacon, blue cheese and green onions until evenly dispersed. Season with salt and pepper.

For Madeira sauce: Reduce veal stock by 2/3, add Madeira and reduce until sauce lightly coats a spoon. Season with salt and pepper.

PHOTO: Lauren Reed