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Don’t let his “caught off-guard” look fool you, until this weekend Neil had been chomping at the bit to barbecue at the new house since well before we moved in. Weeks before closing he was already plotting where the grill would go and what we were going to make for our first bbq. He’s already eyeing new grills and more permanent fixtures for the deck, but for the time being, he’s happy to have meat, cooked over fire, and in his stomach.

He was so excited to grill in fact that he went a little crazy at the meat market. I’ve told you about Neil’s love for our local Mizzou Meat Market before, so it was no surprise that he came home on Friday with a little bit of everything. Steak, pork chops (which we froze for later), bratwurst, and his favorite beef jerky. We had some chicken breasts in the fridge to use up from salads earlier in the week, so we threw those on as well knowing we’d be eating more salad this week.

Here are the cooked brats. They are by far and away the best brats I have ever tasted, and I’m typically pretty picky. Fresh and super juicy with the perfect balance of spice and creamy cheese. Heaven!

The steaks were huge! I feel like we ate tons of steak but still didn’t get through even half of it. We prepped them with simple salt and pepper. Amazing how little good steaks need to be just right.

The neighbors were getting jealous of all the good smells emanating from our deck. Poor pups!

I also decided to make a few sides, because unless you are Dennis Leary, meat in our house has to have some kind of vegetable to accompany it. I whipped up some easy grilled asparagus (asparagus drizzled with garlic, olive oil, sea salt and a little parmesan) and a lemon potato salad that Neil proclaimed as his new favorite.

Ingredients:

2 pounds small red potatoes
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1/3 cup light mayonnaise
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
2 teaspoons thyme
1-2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

Directions:

1. Cover potatoes with salted cold water by 1 inch and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until potatoes are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain potatoes in a colander.
2. When potatoes cool enough to handle, quarter, then toss with lemon juice and salt in a large bowl.
3. Whisk together greek yogurt, mayonnaise, dill, thyme and grated lemon peel in a bowl until blended. Whisk in additional salt (and pepper, if desired) to taste, then add to potatoes and toss to coat. Serve warm or cool after refrigerating.

I love potato salad because it’s so effortless. I probably went a little overboard with the Greek yogurt, but I just can’t get enough of the stuff and a little extra is never a bad thing right? The citrus is the perfect compliment to a creamy potato salad and almost makes it taste a little like a dessert. We’ve been eating tons of fruit and vegetables lately. The brief summer window of pure produce smorgasbord seems so brief doesn’t it? I feel like I’m constantly preserving and freezing, hoping to bottle a piece of summer to have year-round. Maybe it’s time to think about a little deep freezer?

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