GRILLED STEAK WITH TOMATOES AND BLUE CHEESE

Serves 6; recipe by Courtney McDonald

Ingredients:
-6 NY strip steaks or ribeyes
-1/2 cup olive oil
-6 cloves garlic, smashed
-1 shallot, sliced
-2 sprigs rosemary
-2 Tbsp red wine

-4 large heirloom tomatoes, sliced ¼ inch thick
-4 ounces salty blue cheese, such as Bleu d’Auvergne or Roquefort
-1 small red onion or torpedo onion, sliced ¼ inch thick
-1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
-2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
-salt and pepper, to taste

2 hours ahead of cooking time, marinate the steaks – in a large ziplock bag, place ½ cup olive oil, 3 cloves smashed garlic, the sliced shallot, 2 sprigs rosemary and the red wine. Add the steaks and refrigerate for 2 hours to marinate.
Preheat grill. Brush the red onion slices with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill onions until slightly softened and beginning to caramelize, about 1 minute on each side. On a large platter, lay out the tomato slices in a shingled pattern. Crumble the blue cheese evenly on top, then layer the grilled red onion on top of that. Crush the basil leaves and sprinkle over the platter to garnish. Drizzle the tomatoes with the olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside while grilling the steaks.
Remove the steaks from the marinade and season with salt and pepper. Grill to desired doneness and let rest 10 minutes before serving. Serve alongside the tomato platter.