We enjoyed great grilled steaks, cooked over hardwood and seasoned with plenty of Greek olive oil at Manari Taverna on a recent trip to Athens. The accompanying thick slices of super-ripe tomatoes are topped with green olives. Likewise, it featured plenty of delicious, fruity Greek olive oil.

Inspired, tins of olive oil returned home with us. This Memorial Day, we’re employing some of that bright green, fruity olive oil for our celebration. We also plan to serve a Greek red wine from Nemea, made with agiorgitiko grapes, to pair perfectly with the steak.

For celebration cooking, the rich decadence of beef’s middle-cut meats, such as New York strip, rib-eye, porterhouse and T-bone steaks fit the bill. Take advantage of sales at the meat counter; steak keeps in the refrigerator for several days and can be frozen for several months. Thaw frozen steak slowly — a day or two in the refrigerator.

Assess your eaters, not everyone will eat a whole steak; I plan on 4 to 6 ounces (about half of a strip steak) for small eaters and 8 to 12 ounces for others. Instead of serving the steaks whole, they can be sliced and arranged on a serving platter after cooking.

Ready your steaks for the best possible outcome: Always season the steaks in advance, properly heat the grill and set a timer to prevent overcooking. Good steaks deserve high-heat cooking and the flavor of hardwood smoke. After all, that’s what we enjoy at our favorite steak joints. At home, select natural charcoal so the meat doesn’t taste like chemicals. Alternatively, for gas grilling, soak natural wood chips in water; drain and place them in a foil packet (pierced with holes) over the heat source to add a touch of smoke.

Foil-wrapped packets of small new potatoes, seasoned with olive oil, lemon and garlic, go first on the grill. Cook the packet over glowing embers until tender. Then, leave the potatoes wrapped while the steaks cook. Kitchen helpers toss together a leafy salad peppered with cherry tomato halves and diced cucumber. The brine from a jar of Kalamata olives adds a delicious touch to homemade red wine or balsamic vinaigrettes.

The red wine flows as our patio fills with the aromas of hardwood charcoal and golden goodness. Let the summer commence.

Grilled Steak with Oregano and Garlic

Makes 2 to 4 servings

Note: This recipe doubles and triples easily for serving more people.

2 small lemons

3 tablespoons Greek olive oil

2 tablespoons brine from Kalamata olives or red wine vinegar

4 cloves garlic, crushed or finely chopped

2 teaspoons dried Greek oregano, crushed

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 to 4 boneless tender beef steaks, 10 to 14 ounces each (such as ribeye, NY strip or porterhouse), about 1 to 1 1/4 inches thick

1 jar (5 ounces drained weight) pitted Kalamata olives, drained (reserve brine for other uses)

1/2 small red onion, finely chopped, well rinsed

1 container (5 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

Parsley sprigs for garnish

1. Use a fine grater to grate the rind of one lemon into a shallow non-aluminum baking dish large enough to hold the steaks. Squeeze the juice of that lemon into the dish. Stir in oil, olive brine, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper until salt is dissolved. Add steaks to dish and turn to coat. Cover loosely and refrigerate up to 1 hour, turning steaks over once or twice.

2. Prepare a charcoal grill and let heat until coals are covered in gray ash. Or preheat a gas grill to medium-high. Put the grill grate in place and allow it to heat for at least 5 minutes.

3. Mix olives, onion, feta and parsley in small bowl.

4. Remove the steaks from the marinade and reserve marinade. Put the steaks directly over the heat source. Drizzle with a little of the marinade. Cover the grill and cook 5 minutes. Flip the steaks; drizzle with more of the marinade. (Discard any remaining marinade.) Cover the grill and cook until medium-rare, usually 3 to 5 minutes more.

5 Transfer the steak to a board or serving platter. Let rest a couple of minutes. Thinly slice the remaining lemon. Slice steaks if desired. Sprinkle generously with cheese mixture. Garnish with sliced lemon and parsley sprigs.

Roasted Potato Packets with Lemon and Garlic

Makes 4 servings

Notes: Grill-steaming potatoes in foil with herbs and olive oil ranks as our favorite summertime potato preparation. We always make extra to save for scrambling with eggs on Sunday mornings. To double the recipe, make two packets. The potato packet(s) can also be placed on a sheet pan and roasted in a 400 F oven until tender, 40 to 45 minutes.

1 1/4 pounds little new potatoes, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 1/2 teaspoons dried Greek oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons Greek olive oil

1 small lemon, thinly sliced

Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

1. Place 1 large sheet of heavy-duty foil on the counter. Top with a second sheet of foil perpendicular to the first forming a cross. Add potatoes, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper and olive oil to the center. Top with lemon slices. Wrap everything up in the foil to completely enclose all.

2. Preheat a grill to medium-high. Put the potato packet directly over the coals or burners. Cook, turning packet over once or twice, until a knife pierced into the potatoes comes out easily, about 25 minutes. Leave covered in the packet until serving time, then carefully tip contents out into a serving bowl.

3. Top with parsley. Mix well and serve warm.

(JeanMarie Brownson is a James Beard Award-winning author and the recipient of the IACP Cookbook Award for her latest cookbook, “Dinner at Home.” JeanMarie, a chef and authority on home cooking, Mexican cooking and specialty food, is one of the founding partners of Frontera Foods. She co-authored three cookbooks with chef Rick Bayless, including “Mexico: One Plate at a Time.” JeanMarie has enjoyed developing recipes and writing about food, travel and dining for more than four decades.)

©2026 JeanMarie Brownson. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.