An Experiment with Flank Steak

We will be the first to admit that we are not gourmets…or gourmet cooks either.  But, from time to time we build up our nerve and try creating something in the kitchen that we wouldn’t normally try.

In this case, we ‘borrowed’ a recipe posted by Big Dude that he modified when he created a version of this rolled flank steak.  The original recipe was called the ‘Al Capone Roast’ and it came from All Recipes.

Like Big Dude, we didn’t have all the ingredients that the original recipe called for…and there were some ingredients…such as mushrooms…that I don’t care for.  Consequently, we modified the ‘Al Capone’ recipe to fit our needs.

We started out with a big hunk of flank steak and I beat the heck out of it in an effort to flatten it so it would be easier to roll.  I was hampered by the fact that we don’t have a mallet and I ended up using a heavy duty manual potato masher.  Still…I gave it my best in an attempt to achieve a ½” thickness.  Then we added some dried garlic and onion flakes plus a bit of mixed pepper.

Next, we layered in spinach and Benton’s prosciutto…

Then we added mozzarella cheese…

We followed the mozzarella with 12 slices of pepperoni…doubled up.

Finally we added some fresh asparagus spears and a dose of Italian seasoning.

Then we rolled it and prepared to brown it in a cast iron skillet.  On high heat we seared the roast on all sides. 

  

After searing it, we left the roast in the skillet and popped it into a 350 degree oven.  

We left it in the oven until the probe thermometer reached 135 degrees in the center of the roast.  This is what it looked like when we took it out of the oven. 

This is our finished product…with sides of additional spinach and asparagus.  We love asparagus!  It was a little rare in the middle…ok for us…but we would have preferred a little more medium rare.  The meat did pick up the flavors from the spices and the pepperoni.  The vegetables were cooked just right and between them and the cheese, the roast was nice and moist.  It was good but it could have been better.  We gave our experiment a grade of “B”.

To critique ourselves: First of all, we need a real mallet.  The flank steak would have been more tender and easier to roll if I’d been able to make it thinner.  Secondly, the pepperoni worked well as did the vegetables…but more cheese and fresh garlic would have provided more flavor. Finally, Laurie has been complaining that the oven isn’t cooking right.  The temperatures never seems accurate.  That will be rectified soon, perhaps by the time you read this posting.  Our 15 year old oven just ‘died’ on May 28^th. (Laurie says, "Yippee! R.I.P.")

If you’d like to experiment with this entrée, above is the original recipe for the “Al Capone” Roast.  To view Big Dude’s great looking Rolled Flank Steak and to check out the modification he made to the original recipe, just go to http://bigdudesramblings.blogspot.com/2014/03/al-capone-roast.html.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by to see what we’ve been up to!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave