Perfect Steak and Potatoes

     About a week ago, I finally joined Pinterest, which has quickly become the biggest challenge to my productivity. Even so, it's chockfull of really creative recipes. I'm not at all interested in being a copycat, but after seeing numerous pins of baked hasselback potatoes, I just had to try them. In the Pinterest versions, people usually use about a whole stick of butter, a pound of cheese, and a gallon of cream on these potatoes, which seems excessive, even for me. So I've come up with my own, slightly healthier version because occasionally less really can be more. Along with the potatoes, I'll share a recipe for steak marinade. Actually, you can use it on almost any kind of meat, but it's really perfect for grilled steak. It makes all the difference in the world. But first, the potatoes:

INGREDIENTS:
4 Russet potatoes
shredded cheddar cheese (But come to think of it, short slices off a block of cheddar would be easier to work with.)
about 1/2 stick of butter
sour cream and chopped green onions or chives for the top

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 375 and wash the potatoes.
2. Cut 1/4 inch slices across the potatoes, being very careful to cut only 3/4 of the way down. Try resting the potato inside a wooden spoon when you do this. The sides of the spoon will stop your knife so you can't cut all the way through.
3. Carefully separate the sections without breaking them. Slice some very thin slices of very cold butter and squish them in between every third section or so. I try to put 3-4 slices of butter in each potato, but feel free to add more to your arteries' content.
4. Add a small slice or a pinch or shredded cheddar between the sections of the potato that don't have butter.
5. Bake on a cookie sheet for about 45 minutes, but the time obviously depends on the size of the potatoes.

6. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and some chopped green onions or chives on top.

Now for the steak marinade:

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon chili powder

DIRECTIONS:
1. Mix all ingredients with a fork in a container large enough to fit the meat you want to marinate.

2. Coat all sides of the meat in the marinade and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before cooking.

3. Cook, preferably grill and enjoy!

And voila! Just add a vegetable and you have a perfect all-American summertime meal. Check back tomorrow for a meal with an Asian twist!