We arrived in South Dakota at Crooked Creek RV Park to stay for three nights to explore Crazy Horse, Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills. Our site was creek side – lush and green and as picturesque as imagined. We settled in and began to set up for dinner, mainly preparing the outdoor grill to cook over an open fire. Dinner on our first night was a campfire creation of Grilled Steak with Skillet Zucchini and Potatoes with a Drizzle of Chipotle Cream.
Ingredients
- 1 medium zucchini, sliced crosswise
- 1 pound red new potatoes, cut in quarters and par-boiled for 5 minutes
- 12 ounce flatiron steak, about 2-inches thick – remove from refrigerator 30 minutes prior to cooking
- 1 teaspoon fennel pollen or seeds, ground
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 Chipotle chili in adobo
- fresh dill, minced
- olive oil for cooking
- grilled bread, optional
(Serves 2)
To Prepare:
- Prepare outdoor grill, either charcoal or gas, about 400 degrees.
- Drizzle iron skillet with 2 tablespoons olive oil and add sliced zucchini and par-cooked potatoes cut side down.
- Place skillet over grill and cook for 4 minutes, flip potatoes over and continue to cook.
- Sprinkle steak with fennel pollen, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper. Place on grill to sear about 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle zucchini and potatoes with remaining salt and pepper and continue to cook for 5 minutes.
- In a small saucepan, add cream and Chipotle chili and place over medium heat. Heat until simmering and stir.
- Flip steak over and continue to cook for 5 minutes, or longer for medium or well done.
- Remove skillet from grill and add fresh dill to vegetables, stir. Remove steak and let rest 5 minutes before slicing across the grain.
- Place vegetables on each plate and slices of steak. Drizzle plate with Chipotle cream. Serve and Enjoy!
In the morning, our adventure began by renting a car at Team Car Rentals in Hill City. Shane made our day drive easy by texting a google map with pins pointing out stone bridges to ride through on Needles Highway, plus venturing to a few other sites before heading to Mount Rushmore.
Sylvan Lake was a beautiful spot to walk around (half was under construction, so only half a walk was available, yet beautiful). The views with mountain peaks full of dark pine trees (black hills) were just gorgeous.
Stops along the way with distant views of Mount Rushmore were magnificent and truly a bucket list item, if you haven’t been. As we drove up to the monument and walked the stairs towards Mount Rushmore — the excitement grew. I recommend taking the small walk around the lower area to get an up-close look of the Presidents (only 426 steps total).
We headed out and decided to take a helicopter ride with Black Hills Aerial Adventures for a view of the entire Black Hills, along with Crazy Horse and Mount Rushmore in the distance. What a thrill it was to climb above the small cities and get a birdseye view of the entire experience — can’t recommend enough.
Afterwards, we grabbed a cocktail at the Gold Pan Saloon — oldest bar in Custer, established in 1876. While sipping a Gold Fashioned with bourbon, cinnamon syrup and walnut bitters we reminisced over our lovely day.
For dinner I grilled Hatch Chili Sausages that I picked up before we left and made some Creamed Spinach in a skillet on the grill with Saffron Penne. It tasted so good to make our own food after a few days on the road.
After many days of driving, we needed to move ourselves, so we opted to e-bike 30 miles of the Mickelson Trail. The trail head was just above our RV Park and there are several bike rental places around Hill City with several entrances and exits for 106 miles or so.
Our last night in South Dakota we grilled another Flatiron Steak and served it with a skillet of Zucchini and Creamed Corn. S’mores toasted over an open fire for dessert hit the spot, and a tequila with lime as our digestif was the perfect ending.
Tomorrow we head to Cody, Wyoming and work our way west….stay tuned.
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