Grilled steak with a baked potato is fine. But the combination also makes for a fine canvas on which to apply some serious flavour.

Let's start with the steak. I went with strip, as it stays nice and tender, particularly when it is marinated and only briefly grilled. Rib-eye and tenderloin would be fine choices, too.

For flavour, I used an Asian-

inspired marinade of soy sauce, toasted sesame oil (regular is fine, though not as flavourful as toasted), seasoned rice vinegar (same principle as the sesame oil), sugar and hot sauce.

The marinade, which also has diced shallots in it, then doubles as a sauce after it is brought to a boil and reduced (an essential step since it had raw meat sitting in it).

As for the potatoes, roasted new potatoes topped with roasted garlic are perfect. If you prefer, you could take that same combination and rather than simply smash them, go all out and mash them.

Admittedly, this recipe involves more steps than I typically tolerate in a weeknight-friendly meal but the whole thing still can be on the table in about 45 minutes.

Asian-Marinated Steak over Roasted Garlic Smashed Potatoes

Makes 4 servings

* 1 whole head garlic, plus 4 cloves

* 4 tbsp (60 mL) olive oil, divided

* Kosher salt

* 2 tbsp (30 mL) soy sauce

* 2 tbsp (30 mL) toasted sesame oil

* 1/4 cup (60 mL) seasoned rice vinegar

* 1 tbsp (15 mL) sugar

* 1/2 tsp (2 mL) hot sauce

* 2 shallots, minced

* 1 1/4 lb (565 g) strip steak, trimmed of fat and cut into 4 portions

* 1 lb (450 g) red new potatoes (about 16 potatoes)

* Ground black pepper

Heat oven to 400 F (200 C).

Slice off top (pointed side) of the head of garlic, then set head on a square of foil. Drizzle with 1 tbsp (15 mL) of the olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Wrap foil loosely over garlic, then roast until very tender, about 20 minutes. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Leave oven on.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix together soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, sugar, hot sauce and shallots. Mince remaining 4 cloves of garlic and add those. Add steak, toss well to coat, then set aside for 15 minutes.

While steak marinates, bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and boil for 15 minutes or until tender when pierced with a knife. Drain, then arrange potatoes in 4 clusters on a baking sheet.

Use a potato masher to slightly crush each cluster of potatoes. Drizzle potatoes with remaining 3 tbsp (45 mL) olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Unwrap head of roasted garlic and squeeze cloves onto potatoes. Roast until tops of the potatoes are just lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes.

Heat a grill pan to medium-high. Using tongs, remove steak from marinade and sear on grill pan to desired doneness.

Transfer remaining steak marinade in bowl to a small saucepan over medium-high. Bring to a boil and cook for 4 minutes or until reduced and slightly thickened.

To serve, place a cluster of roasted potatoes and garlic on each plate, then top with steak and drizzle with reduced marinade.

Approximate nutrition per serving: 534 calories, 33 g fat, 28 g protein, 33 g carbohydrates, 2 g fibre!