Carne Asada Fries

As an ode to the wonderful 24-hour Mexican food of San Diego, we had a Carne Asada Night with Heroes with the present and former roommates (by the way, this was long ago and I wanted to post this since I don't anticipate making this anytime soon).

Who can deny the delicious combination of flavors that is Carne Asada fries? Conceptually, it is quite simple. Preparationally, it is not. It is quite hell actually, especially if your kitchen is not a Roberto's.

1st Serving
(Nice presentation, but you can't see the carne asada)

2nd Serving
(Messier by better)

Ingredients

• Carne Asada (recipe follows)
  
• Pico de Gallo (recipe follows)
  
• Guacamole (recipe follows)
  
• Potato Fries
• Sour Cream
• Jack Cheese

Directions

Prepare the above 3 recipes. For the fries, cut the Russet potatoes into slender slices and deep fry them in a pot of peanut oil on high heat until golden brown (be sure that the oil in the pot is up to full heat so prevent the fries from getting soggy). Ensure that the potatoes do not clump because it prevents them from cooking well, but also be gentle so that they do not break. Once that is done, stack all ingredients in whatever order and amount you prefer . This is what I did (from bottom to top): Potato Fries, Carne Asada, Jack Cheese, Guacamole, Pico de Gallo, Sour Cream. Note: the peanut oil can be safely reused up to 6 months.

Carne Asada

Ingredients

• 2 pounds flank or skirt steak, trimmed of excess fat
• Olive oil, for coating the grill
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 recipe Mojo, recipe follows
  

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 jalapeno, minced

1 large handful fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 limes, juiced

1 orange, juiced

2 tablespoons white vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

Directions

In a mortar and pestle or bowl, mash together the garlic, jalapeno, cilantro, salt, and pepper to make a paste. Put the paste in a glass jar or plastic container. Add the lime juice, orange juice, vinegar, and oil. Shake it up really well to combine. Use as a marinade for chicken or beef or as a table condiment.
Lay the flank steak in a large baking dish and pour the mojo over it. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 8 hours, so the flavors can sink into the meat. Don't marinate the steak for more than 8 hours though, or the fibers break down too much and the meat gets mushy.
Preheat an outdoor grill or a ridged grill pan over medium-high flame (you can also use a broiler). Brush the grates with a little oil to prevent the meat from sticking. Pull the steak out of the mojo marinade and season the steak on both sides with salt and pepper. Grill (or broil) the steak for 7 to 10 minutes per side, turning once, until medium-rare. Remove the steak to a cutting board and let it rest for 5 minutes to allow the juices to settle. Thinly slice the steak across the grain on a diagonal.

Pico de Gallo

Ingredients

• 1 large tomato, cored, seeded, and coarsely chopped
• 1 white onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 limes, juiced
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 jalapeno, if preferred
  

Directions

Mix ingredients together and season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Guacamole

Ingredients

• 4 ripe Haas avocados
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 lemon)
• 8 dashes hot pepper sauce (I use Sriracha as a substitute)
  
• 1/2 cup small-diced red onion (1 small onion)
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 medium tomato, seeded, and small-diced

Directions

Cut the avocados in 1/2, remove the pits, and scoop the flesh out of their shells into a large bowl. (I use my hands.) Immediately add the lemon juice, hot pepper sauce, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper and toss well. Using a sharp knife, slice through the avocados in the bowl until they are finely diced. Add the tomatoes. Mix well and taste for salt and pepper.

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While I was preparing this, I thought it was heading for disaster. First of all, I did not marinate the carne asada correctly because I was supposedly to create a paste with a mortar and pestle and I did not realize that until I had already chopped everything and put it in the olive oil. My last ditch effort to save it was to use top of an Aquafina bottle to smash up the the ingredients get out as much of the flavor as possible, but that failed. I had to stick with what I had. Also, I did not have grill or a broiler pan. I ended up using a baking pan, which left the juices in the pan and the meat didn't have that crispness that typical carne asada has. I tried to salvage it by dumping the fluids and allowing it to broil a little more. That wasn't the end of my worries. I was cooking the fries, and they weren't cooking! I put them into the pot when the oil was still getting super hot. Not only that, but the fries were breaking apart because my stirring was too fierece. These fries ended up being in the deep fryer for about 20 minutes, and they came out tasting stale, lacking the crispness of typical french fries. That makes two.

I was uberly disappointed because I thought this was a surefire winner. I complied the whole ensemble and I was scared for the first bite. And it wasn't bad! Granted, it wasn't the quality of Cotixans or Super Sergios, but it was pretty damn legit. The second serving was a little better because I got better with the frying technique. While it wasn't what I hyped it up to be, it was good enough.

My expectations were that this was going to be easy and cheap. It was quite the opposite. The total bill came out to 50 bucks and the preparation was tedious with all the chopping of the ingredients and the mess of working with a deep fryer. All in all, it was a great experience. I defintely want to try this again, and hopefully the carne asada turns out better.