Recipe Index

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds New York strip steak ((skirt, flank, or sirloin also work))
• 1 teaspoon Cumin
• 1 teaspoon Smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Onion powder
• 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper (optional)
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil (for searing)
• 1 small yellow onion
• 1 jalapeño
• 4 8-inch flour tortillas (or 8 tortillas if you'd like to use two per quesadilla instead of folding them over)
• 12 ounces Oaxaca cheese, shredded
• 4 tablespoons Salted butter
• 1/2 cup Sour cream
• about 1/2 cup Flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons Cilantro, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup Olive oil
• 2 tablespoons White vinegar
• 3 cloves Garlic, grated
• 1 teaspoon Dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon Dried cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon Red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• A squeeze of lime, to taste

Method

1. Whisk the sour cream, parsley, cilantro, olive oil, white vinegar, grated garlic, dried oregano, dried cilantro, red pepper flakes, kosher salt and squeeze of lime together in a bowl until smooth and creamy, for the creamy chimichurri. Cover it and refrigerate it while you prep everything else; it tastes better the longer it sits.
2. Pat the steak dry and season it generously all over with the cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, black pepper and white pepper. Let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes so it cooks more evenly.
3. Heat a 10-inch stainless steel pan for 4 to 5 minutes on medium heat, then add the avocado oil. Sear the steak for 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium-rare, or 5 minutes per side for closer to medium-well, with a deep crust outside. Rest it on a cutting board for at least 10 minutes, then slice it against the grain, keeping the strips or cutting them down further into small cubes.
4. In the same pan, in the leftover steak drippings, sauté the onion and jalapeño for 3 to 4 minutes, until softened, then take them out of the pan.
5. Build each quesadilla in the pan on low to medium heat: melt 1 tablespoon of the butter, add a tortilla, a layer of shredded cheese, sliced steak, some of the onion-jalapeño mixture, a generous dollop of the creamy chimichurri and a squeeze of lime, and the lightest bit more cheese on top. Fold the tortilla in half, or top it with a second tortilla.
6. Cook the quesadilla until the tortilla is deeply golden and the cheese is fully melted. Let it sit for a minute or two before cutting so the cheese does not run out, then slice it into wedges and serve it with a generous amount of the chimichurri sour cream for dunking and a little extra squeeze of lime on top.

Prep: 15 min · Cook: 25 min · Total: 80 min

Nutrition (per serving, where published)

Estimated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient data