By Lidey Heuck
Photographs by Dane Tashima
One of the many benefits of living in the Hudson Valley is that friends come to visit. I love hosting—the preparation, dreaming up menus, putting flowers all around the house—but as anyone who has had houseguests knows, the grocery shopping, chopping, and dish-doing add up to quite a lot of work.
Summer is the busiest time for guests and entertaining, and the time of year we hosts would rather be lounging in the sun than cooped up in the kitchen. I like to strike a balance between bringing visitors to some of our favorite restaurants and bakeries, and relaxing over home-cooked meals on the porch. And when it comes to cooking at home, I keep things simple and seasonal. Local produce is plentiful and stopping by a farmstand or farmers market makes for a perfect morning outing.
For breakfast, I typically lay out a continental spread of toast, jam, granola, yogurt, and fruit and let everyone help themselves. For those who like a more substantial start to the day, I’ll make an egg dish that everyone can share, rather than frying up eggs à la minute. My Red Potato and Leek Frittata is endlessly adaptable to whatever veggies looked good at the market, or even leftovers from last night’s dinner.
When happy hour strikes, I have plenty of white and rosé chilling in the fridge, and I tend toward cocktails that don’t require shaking, straining, and the like. The Garibaldi Spritz—made with Campari, fresh orange juice, and Prosecco or sparkling water—is a favorite because it’s refreshing on a hot evening and can be tailored to the drinker’s preference for a wine forward or light-on-the-booze libation.
“The focus is on enjoying each other’s company and savoring meals that are as carefree and blissful as these fleeting August evenings.”
Dinner is all about making the most of the season’s bounty, and happily, summer vegetables and fruits require little tampering to be absolutely delicious. For my Grilled Skirt Steak with Romesco Salsa, I marinate the steak ahead of time and throw together a rustic and vibrant salsa with cherry tomatoes, roasted red peppers, garlic, parsley, and almonds. It’s a summer showstopper that’s as easy to make as it is crowd-pleasing, and the sort of dish that feels at once simple and celebratory.
If I were to distill my summer entertaining ethos into two words, it would be: simple and celebratory. The focus is not on perfection, but on enjoying each other’s company and savoring meals that are as carefree and blissful as these fleeting August evenings.
Red Potato & Leek Frittata with Goat Cheese & Dill
Serves 6 to 8
Softened unsalted butter for the baking dish
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more as needed
1 pound red potatoes (about 3 medium potatoes), scrubbed and 1/4-inch diced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large leeks, trimmed, halved lengthwise, and sliced 1/4-inch thick (about 4 cups)
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
12 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 (4-ounce) log plain goat cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
Preheat the oven to 350°F and generously butter a 9 × 13-inch baking dish. In a 12-inch skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the potatoes, season with 1/2 teaspoon salt, and toss to coat. Spread them out into an even layer. Cook, tossing occasionally and scraping the bottom of the pan, until the potatoes are tender and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer the potatoes to the prepared baking dish.
Reduce the heat to medium. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, the leeks, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally, until the leeks are lightly caramelized, 7 to 9 minutes. If the pan seems dry at any point, add a splash of oil. Off the heat, add the vinegar and toss, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Transfer the leeks to the baking dish, toss with the potatoes, and spread everything into an even layer. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper until smooth. Pour the egg mixture into the dish and give the dish a gentle shake to help distribute the eggs if necessary. Break the goat cheese into crumbles and scatter over the eggs, then sprinkle the dill on top.
Bake until the frittata is just set in the center, 25 to 30 minutes. Let sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Garibaldi Spritz
Makes 8 drinks
2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice (about 8 oranges), strained to remove the pulp
1/2 cup Campari
2 cups sparkling water or Prosecco
Ice, for serving
8 orange slices, for serving
In a glass pitcher, combine the orange juice and Campari. Store, covered, in the refrigerator until you plan to serve the drinks (up to 8 hours). Just before serving, add the sparkling water or Prosecco to the pitcher and stir. Divide the cocktail mixture among 8 ice-filled wineglasses or tumblers. Garnish each drink with an orange slice and serve immediately.
Grilled Skirt Steak with Romesco Salsa
Serves 6
For the steak:
2 pounds skirt steak
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the romesco salsa:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup raw almonds, coarsely chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped
1 cup jarred roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced or grated
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
If necessary, cut the steak crosswise into pieces that are 6 to 8 inches long. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, brown sugar, cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Add the steak and toss well to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 24.
When you’re ready to cook the steak, remove it from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature on the counter for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, make the salsa: Heat a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add the olive oil and then the almonds and cook, tossing often, until the almonds are fragrant and just beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. (Be careful not to let them burn!) Remove from the heat and using a slotted spoon, transfer to a small bowl to cool.
In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, roasted peppers, vinegar, parsley, garlic, paprika, and salt. Toss and set aside. Set the grill to medium-high heat (or heat a grill pan on the stovetop over medium-high). Cook the steak for 3 to 5 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of each piece, for medium-rare and watching out for flare-ups. Transfer to a plate, sprinkle lightly with salt, and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
While the steak rests, drain all but a few tablespoons of liquid from the salsa with a small spoon. (The amount of liquid will depend on how long the salsa has been sitting and how juicy the tomatoes are.) Add the almonds and toss.
To serve, slice the steak crosswise into 3-inch pieces, then slice against the grain to cut the steak into wide strips. Arrange the sliced steak on a large flat platter, then spoon about half the salsa on top. Serve the rest of the salsa on the side.
Recipes excerpted from “Cooking in Real Life: Delicious & Doable Recipes for Every Day.” Copyright © 2024 by Lidey Heuck. Photography Copyright © 2024 by Dane Tashima. Reproduced by permission of Simon Element, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. All rights reserved.
