Please forgive me for these photos. I am still working on making my dishes look aesthetically pleasing. A difficult task if you are not cooking meals in the middle of the day with time to let it cool completely and ‘artfully curate’ the plate. I am not a food stylist. I am a mother of a 17-month-old and 10-week-old who simply takes pictures of the meals she is making… right before we dig in and eat them hot off the line! 

And I don’t think I could convince Nick to let me make these over and over again to get the perfect shot. We’ve eaten so many of these recently, I am almost getting sick of tri tip. We don’t eat a lot of red meat but last summer Nick’s brother made barbequed tri tip sandwiches for a concert in the park. It was an epic move and not hard to pull off. He simply grilled the tri tip with a ton of Montreal seasoning, sauteed a bunch of onions and bell peppers, then slapped them on a bun with a slice of provolone and some sauce when we got to the park. So simple. So delicious. So easy to pull off and make it look like you are put together. Nick decided he also wanted to be able to master making tri tip sandwiches so we’ve recently invested in a large quantity of Montreal seasoning and away we went! 

The only problem with grilling a massive piece of meat is that you inevitably have leftovers. And I hate eating leftovers. But I love repurposing meals. So when Nick left me with a big bag of cooked tri tip after his first endeavor grilling it, I decided to make Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Potatoes for our meal the next day. And boy are they delicious! All I did was bake the sweet potatoes then piled all the Philly Cheese toppings on top. Same profile, different composition. 

And might I add, this is a great way to use leftovers for lunches the next day. I assembled the stuffed potatoes and put it in a microwavable container to heat up. Amazing for workday lunches when you don’t have the time or brain power to cook something. You better believe it’s also great for the afternoon breastfeeding meals that have once again become part of my routine. I find that I am so hungry when I breastfeed, but hate cooking 5-6 times a day, so it’s great to have a well-balanced nutricious snack like this on hand rather than reaching for yet another protein bar or crackers that don’t fill me up. Look out for more stuffed sweet potato recipes coming your way. They have been my latest obsession for this very fact and the combinations are endless!

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. tri tip

2-3 bell peppers of any color

1 yellow onion

5-6 slices of provolone cheese

2-3 japanese sweet potatoes

montreal seasoning

salt & pepper

olive oil

Toppings not pictured: mustard, horseradish, hot honey

Serving Size: 4

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1 hour before desired eating, preheat oven to 450F. Wash potatoes and slice in half. Coat generously with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake on a sheet lined with parchment paper – inside down facing the sheet – for 1 50-60 mins until crispy. Remove from heat to cool enough to scoop insides out but keep oven on.
• Rub steak with montreal seasoning and bring to room temp. Grill or pan sear steak to desired color. Let cool then slice against the grain into strips. 
• In a large pan, lightly toss sliced bell peppers and onion with montreal seasoning and olive oil. Cook until softened. 
• Layer 1-2 slices of cheese in the scooped out potatoes, then add the steak and peppers on top. 
• Bake in oven for another 3-4 minutes until warmed up and cheese melts. 
• Top with mustard (or horseradish if that’s your thing). Enjoy!