Day 18: Stuffed Flank Steak

I have absolutely no idea why this recipe appealed to me. As previously mentioned, I don't like spinach or steak, and I really HATE feta cheese. So what the hell am I making this for? My only explanation is the Big Mac effect. You know when you see a commercial for a cheesy, saucy delicious Big Mac and you think," I haven't had a Big Mac in years, but that looks really good." You get in the car and go to the Mikey D's drive thru only to dive into the first bite of what is supposed to be shear deliciousness, and instead encounter luke warm meat with a piece of cheese laid on top and a stale bun. The picture always looks better than it tastes. Well, the picture of the stuffed flank steak in the Family Circle magazine looked fantastic. It was love at first sight. It just looked pretty, so I pushed my food fears aside and decided to give it a shot. Let's hope that it is not only a work of art, but also a palate pleaser.

Stuffed Flank Steak

1 1/2lb Flank steak
10 oz of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

4 oz herb-garlic flavored crumbled feta cheese

2 tablespoons seasoned bread crumbs

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 egg, lightly beaten

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Step 1: Lay steak on work surface. Starting at the long side, slice steak in half w/o going all the way through. Open like a book and flatten to even thickness

Step 2: Combine feta, spinach, breadcrumbs, 1 tablespoon oil, and beaten egg in medium bowl

Step 3: Season steak with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Press spinach mixture onto steak leaving 1 inch borders. Begin on the short end and roll steak up to enclose filling. Tie steak with cotton string at 2 inch intervals

Step 4: Rub steak with remaining oil and season with remaining salt/pepper

Step 5: Brown meat on all sides in a hot skillet(about 5 minutes). Transfer to a greased(cooking spray) rack in pan.

Step 6: Roast for 35 minutes at 425 degrees. Internal temperature should read 135 degrees.

Step 7: Remove meat from oven, let rest, covered, for 10 minutes before slicing.

Note: Steps 1-4 can be done ahead of time and left, wrapped, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Kitchen Play by Play: I prepared the steak this afternoon while Austin was napping and Peyton was playing in her pack n play. I was not really sure what step 1 meant. I got the slicing just fine, but I have no idea what they mean about opening it like a book. I just sliced down the middle. And...totally went all the way through the meat in the middle section. Ooops. The rest of the prep was really easy and went very quickly. Make sure that the spinach is as dry as you can possibly get it or the mixture will get too watery. I did trim some of the larger pieces of fat off the meat because it grosses me out to think about eating it. At the time, I did not have cooking string so I just stuck a few toothpicks through the meat to hold it in place for the time being.

I probably should not even tell you what my mother's "genius" idea was on how to hold it in place. But I will. She wanted me to use HAIR TIES. When I told her that I didn't have any clean ones, she told me to rinse them. I'm not kidding. You can't make this shit up; she was dead serious. Don't you worry, I'll think twice before accepting a dinner invite at her house any time soon. I can't give her too much shit though, she went to the store to get the cooking string for me...thanks mom :)

I took the meat out of the fridge about 20 minutes before putting it in the oven so it wouldn't be as cold. After seasoning and browning, it was in the oven in 7 minutes. I kept my fingers crossed that it wouldn't fall apart; it was one fat roll of beef.
The Finished Product

The Damaged Steak
The complete meal

The Verdict:
Nicole- I was surprised. I was afraid that it would be too red for me because 35 minutes didn't seem like a lot of time. I eat my meat DEAD(well done); I don't want it "mooing" at me. When it came out it still looked a little red, but by the time it was ready to be cut every piece was medium to medium-well. I would have liked the meat to have been more tender, but I don't know anything about steak so maybe that is how flank steak is supposed to be. I thought the feta mixture was actually pretty good. There were enough components in the stuffing to mask the strong flavor of the feta cheese. I didn't eat the extra stuff that fell out, but I did eat some with a bite of steak. Overall, I'd give it a 3, but remember this had three ingredients I don't particularly care for. If you like feta, spinach, and meat than I think you'd really enjoy this dish!

Paul-gives it a 4.5. It had three things he really enjoys: steak, spinach, and feta.

Austin- Ate nothing. Not even the broccoli. He wasn't feeling dinner tonight. He was feeling the cupcakes that we made together before dinner. He ate 3 of them while we were cooking. Bad move on my part:) Look for that recipe tomorrow night.