Yesterday I sang the praises of the fresh huckleberry festival going on at the new Albertsons on Broadway this weekend and teased you with the prospect of a recipe. Today I deliver on that promise with this Beef with Fresh Huckleberry Sage Sauce. It’s a salad but definitely hardy enough to be a main course. And it’s the perfect combination of sweet with savory.
I used local Idaho Double R Ranch steaks but obviously any steak will do. It would also be awesome on pork tenderloin, chicken or duck.
I also realize that huckleberries, especially fresh ones, aren’t available everywhere, or year around, so feel free to experiment with blueberries or blackberries.
The perfect accompaniment? Wallace Brewing Huckleberry Shandy of course.
We took this dish to the Idaho Shakespeare Festival as our dinner last night and were the envy of all around us. Hope you enjoy it too!
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red onion, finely minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage, finely minced + more for garnish
- 1 cup fresh huckleberries + more for garnish
- 3 tablespoons sugar, or sweetener of your choice
- ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
- ⅓ cup robust red wine (I used Zinfandel)
- Salt and pepper
- 1 pound beef tenderloin steak
- Arugula
- Fresh figs, quartered
- Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a small sauce pan.
- Add onion and sauté until starting to turn golden. Add sage and stir for 1 minute.
- Add huckleberries, sweetener, red wine vinegar and wine. Bring to boil and then reduce heat and simmer until thickened, around 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Meanwhile heat grill on high heat. Dry steaks with paper towel and season liberally with salt and coarse ground black pepper.
- Grill until desired doneness. For me, that was about 7 minutes per side (the steaks were very thick) for a medium steak.
- Let steaks rest for 10 minutes. Slice across the grain into strips.
- Place a couple big handfuls of arugula in a bowl. Toss lightly with olive oil and salt. Place on a serving platter.
- Top with sliced steak and then huckleberry sage sauce.
- Finish with a sprinkling of salt and garnish with fresh figs, fresh huckleberries, and sage leaves.
- Serve immediately.
