Pittsburgh Salad

Pittsburgh Salad

A beloved steel-city lunch-counter classic, the Pittsburgh Salad piles French fries, grilled beef, and chicken onto a bed of crisp lettuce with ripe tomato and a blue cheese dressing drizzle. It is a hearty, stick-to-your-ribs salad born in Pittsburgh's diner culture.

Prep

20 min

Cook

30 min

Total

50 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •500 g (1 lb 2 oz) russet potatoes, for hand-cut fries
• •30 ml (2 tbsp) neutral oil, plus more for frying
• •5 g (1 tsp) salt, for the fries
• •300 g (10½ oz) beef sirloin or strip steak, trimmed
• •300 g (10½ oz) boneless skinless chicken breast
• •5 ml (1 tsp) vegetable oil, for the grill pan
• •2 g (½ tsp) kosher salt, plus more to taste
• •2 g (½ tsp) black pepper, freshly ground
• •200 g (7 oz) iceberg lettuce, shredded; romaine is a common sub
• •300 g (10½ oz) ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges or thick slices
• •120 ml (½ cup) blue cheese dressing, store-bought or homemade
• •60 g (½ cup) crumbled blue cheese
• •30 g (¼ cup) red onion, thinly sliced, optional
• •10 g (2 tsp) parsley, chopped, optional

Steps

1. 1 Peel the potatoes if you prefer and cut them into 1 cm (⅜ in) sticks. Soak in cold water for 10 minutes, then drain and pat very dry. Toss with 30 ml (2 tbsp) oil and the 5 g (1 tsp) salt.
2. 2 Heat 1 cm (about ½ in) of oil in a heavy pot to 160°C / 325°F. Fry the potatoes in batches for 4 to 5 minutes until soft but not browned. Remove and drain on a rack. (This is the classic diner blanch step.)
3. 3 Raise the oil to 180°C / 350°F. Refry the potatoes in batches for 3 to 5 minutes until deep golden and crisp. Drain, season with extra salt, and keep warm.
4. 4 Pound the beef and chicken to an even thickness of about 1.5 cm (⅝ in). Season both sides with kosher salt and black pepper.
5. 5 Heat a grill pan or skillet over medium-high with the 5 ml (1 tsp) oil. Sear the chicken first: 5 to 6 minutes per side until the internal temperature reads 74°C / 165°F. Transfer to a board to rest, tented.
6. 6 Sear the steak in the same pan: 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium-rare (internal temperature 55°C / 130°F). Transfer to the board to rest.
7. 7 Slice the rested steak against the grain and the chicken across the grain into 1 cm (⅜ in) slices.
8. 8 Assemble four plates: mound shredded lettuce, tuck tomato wedges around, pile hot fries in the center, and arrange the sliced steak and chicken over and beside the fries.
9. 9 Drizzle with blue cheese dressing, scatter crumbled blue cheese (and red onion and parsley if using) over the top, and serve immediately while the fries and meat are still hot.