recipe 78: Tristan's mom's potato salad with grilled steak

Have I mentioned that Tristan's mom was an excellent cook? This is one of Tristan's favorites of her recipes. I am unsure of its source. She made it for both of us the night before our first trip to Jamaica, and then graciously allowed me to keep my eyesore of an old car (which has since been upgraded) in her driveway for the next five days. This blog, up until now, has been all about tried-and-trues. This one is not a tried-and-true, and that's because I'm nervous to make it and mess it up. It's a "true" because I've eaten it and it's delicious, but it's not yet a "tried." It's going on here anyway, and if I ever stop being nervous about making it, I will take a picture and post it later. Speaking of retroactive picture taking of already-posted recipes, I've finally taken a picture of recipe #1: chicken piccata- http://cookingmywaytothe365.blogspot.com/2012/02/recipes-1-and-2-chicken-piccata-and.html

TRISTAN'S MOM'S POTATO SALAD WITH GRILLED STEAK AND WARM BACON-SHALLOT VINAIGRETTE
Ingredients:
-8 garlic cloves, mashed
-salt and pepper
-1 1/4 lbs. flank steak
-2 lbs. red potatoes, scrubbed
-4 slices of bacon
-2 shallots, peeled and minced
-3 T champagne vinegar
-juice of one lemon
-1/2 t sugar
-4 T minced parsley
-1/2 c olive oil
-2 bunches radishes, thinly sliced
-thinly sliced red onion
-6 oz fresh green beans, blanched until just tender

Instructions:
1) place 2/3 of the garlic in a bowl, along with 2 t salt and some pepper
2) rub this mixture on the steak, cover and refrigerate from two hours to overnight
3) cook the potatoes in a large pot of boiling water until tender but not mushy, for 12-20 minutes
4) make the vinaigrette: cook the bacon until crisp, remove the bacon to paper towels and reduce heat; cook the shallots in the bacon fat, simmering until tender and fragrant for about 8 minutes; add the remaining garlic and saute for about 1 minute; add the vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, 3 T of the parsley, and simmer for another minute; add the olive oil, remove from the heat, and crumble the bacon (setting the bacon aside)
5) drain the potatoes, let them cool slightly, and thinly slice them
6) place the potatoes in a large mixing bowl and add the red onion, radishes, green beans, and half of the dressing, tossing together
7) grill the steak for about 6 minutes on each side, let it rest, and then slice it diagonally
8) arrange the steak over the salad, heat the remaining vinaigrette in a small saucepan, and spoon it over the steak
9) scatter the crumbled bacon and remaining parsley on top of the salad and serve