These days, flank steak, which back in the day used to be so inexpensive can be over the top pricey! But every once in awhile there’s a great sale. This year I picked one up during the Super Bowl Sales and I knew just what I wanted to do with that lovely! I wanted to make Stuffed Flank Steak with Wine Sauce. I thought it would be a beautiful way to showcase that steak and perfect for a special occasion, maybe Valentine’s Day?

Stuffed Flank Steak with Wine Sauce

This stuffed flank steak will be beautiful to serve almost anytime you want a bit of drama. It’s def a showstopper and would be perfect for a small Christmas dinner or an anniversary, or just about any special celebration where you’re serving just a few people.

About Stuffed Flank Steak with Wine Sauce:

I gotta tell ya, when you’re talking “bang for your buck” you can’t go wrong with anything rolled, stuffed and cut to display the gorgeous pinwheels at an advantage. There’s just something not only elegant about it, but it’s a kind of loaves and fishes thing. Once you stuff something, it just seems like more. Or “extra” as the kids say these days.

This flank steak got treated to a classic mixture of sauteed onions and mushrooms, with a bit of kale for a lovely fresh touch and dried cherries. Their sweetness balances out the kale and they add such a depth of flavor. And the glue to hold everything together? A bit of cheese. I chose goat cheese since this was a special dinner.

And if any of these items aren’t your jam? Really, you can do no wrong, here. Leave them out or substitute something else you do like. A mild Bleu cheese would be fabulous and Feta would work, too. Think about dried cranberries or apricots for the cherries. Maybe you’d like spinach or another green instead of the kale.

Stuffed Flank Steak with Wine Sauce

Let’s Talk about that Wine:  

Regardless of what this is stuffed with, I think the simple little wine sauce just about steals the show, here. It’s made right in the pan as the Flank Steak rests and just takes a minute or two. And since you just need a bit of wine, you can drink the rest with dinner. Bonus! Any dark red wine with a little fruitness is gorgeous in and with this dinner. Pinot Noir, Merlot or another fave if you have one.

If you can’t do the hooch, feel free to sub in some beef broth. When I do that, I like to add just a touch of any dark jam if I have it on hand and just a few drops of vinegar, preferably Red Wine Vinegar since I normally use Red Wine n the sauce, but that’s optional. I think the sweet fruit with a bit of acid helps mimic that wine taste. I mean, really, what is wine but fermented fruit, after all?

Slice and Pound the Flank Steak:

There’s no doubt that pounding out and stuffing a flank steak is a bit of a pain, but it’s not that difficult and you can be multitasking and sauteeing your vegetables as you’re working on the beef. First of all, it’s likely that your flank steak is going to be maybe an inch and a half thick, at least in most parts. If it’s larger than the two pounds you’ll need for this recipe, you can trim it so the area you are working with is as even as possible. Save those trimmings for something else, maybe Fajitas.

• Then slice the beef horizontally. You’ll want to pay attention to the grain and slice so the steak opens up like a book to the left and right with the grain running horizontally. If you end up with a lump in the middle you can carefully cut some of it away or keep taking little slices so it lays open better.
• The next step is to pound it to an even thickness. You’re looking for a final size of about 10″ by 12″ or so. Be careful of any thin areas and there is no need to be perfect but you do need to be patient and take your time.
• Holes or tears are not the end of the world, but it’s best to really be careful, especially as you cut and pound the area that will be the outside of the spiral as the beef is rolled.

See how I cut it so the grain runs across horizontally.

Stuffing:

I like to lay all my strings out (I cut them longer than I need; it makes it so much easier) on the cutting board and then put the steak on top. The grain will run side to side, and the best portion of the steak, with the fewest tears or holes, if there are any, will be farthest away.

Spread the stuffing and leave a good area, about 1 3/4 to 2″ at the far edge and just a bit around the other edges so the filling doesn’t ooze out. Roll it up, starting at the area closest to you and rolling toward the far edge. Do the first stage of the butcher’s knot first, all the way across, which helps hold everything together, then go back and tighten everything up.

Tie so you have a reasonable portion or two for everyone. You can see I used six ties, which means that when cut, I’ll actually have seven spirals. There was no real rhyme or reason to that. It just looked about right to me, but you can go a little smaller with seven ties, which will give you an even eight spirals or five ties for six spirals.

Stuffed Flank Steak, watch the grain and leave room at the edges

Making Stuffed Flank Steak with Wine Sauce:

Once the stuffing and tying is done, there’s nothing to making this! Just saute the roll of beef over a shape fire until browned on all sides and transfer to the oven to finish cooking. If there is any smoke or danger of the drippings burning, add a little water to the pan. You need those drippings for the sauce!

When finished remove the flank steak and let it rest before cutting. Heat the pan with the drippings, add in the wine and beef broth and simmer until reduced to about half the volume. Remove from heat and let the butter slowly melt in as you stir. Finito!

Stuffed Flank Steak with Wine Sauce

Stuffed Flank Steak with Wine Sauce

Print Recipe

• Author: mollie kirby
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 4 to 6 1x
• Category: Main Dish Beef
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the Flank Steak:

• 1 (2 pound) flank steak
• salt & pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter, divided
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1/2 onion, finely diced
• 8 ounces mushrooms, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 cups chopped kale (1 1/2 inches or so)
• 1/4 cup dried cherries, roughly chopped
• 2 to 3 ounces goat cheese (or about 1/2 cup Feta or Bleu cheese, crumbled)

For the Sauce:

• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 cup red wine
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

For the Flank Steak:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Cut and pound steak as directed in above text. Place string on work surface, lay the prepared steak on top.

In a large oven proof skillet heat one tablespoon of butter and one tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and mushrooms and heat through. Add 1/4 cup water and add lid, allowing to cook for 3 to four minutes. Remove lid and stir. Continue to cook until mushrooms and onions are softened and picking up a little color stirring as needed.

Add garlic and cook for a minute longer, until fragrant. Add the kale and mix together. If cooking the steak right away, add mixture to the steak, leaving edges as directed above. Sprinkle with dried cherries and cheese. If preparing to cook later, cool the mixture before placing it on the steak. Working with the side closest to you and rolling towards the far edge, tightly roll up flank steak. Secure with the twine as directed.

Give the skillet a wipe and heat the remaining tablespoon each of butter and oil over medium-high heat. Sear the meat on all sides, about two to three minutes, then place in oven and cook until desired temperature, about 20 to 25 minutes. Flank can be tough if overcooked; I’d recommend not going past medium. Watch that the drippings don’t burn as it cooks in the oven. If it looks dry or smokes, add a little water.

• rare: 125 degrees (dark purple-red, just warm, tender)
• medium rare: 135 degrees (bright purple-red, warm, tender, very juicy)
• medium: 145 degrees (rich pink, yielding, slightly tender, juicy)
• medium well: 155 degrees (tan with slight pink, firm, some juice)
• well: 160 (tan to brown, no pink, chewy, little if any juice)

Let rest as you make the sauce, and once the sauce is finished, slice into spirals and serve with the sauce:

In the skillet, pour off any excess drippings or add butter to make three tablespoons. Over medium heat, add the wine and broth. Bring to a simmer, stirring now and then or until reduced to half, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat and add butter, slowly stirring in. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Keywords: Alcohol, Beef, beef broth, Cheese, flank steak, Goat Cheese, Kale, Steak, Vinegar, Wine

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I’ll be sharing at Fiesta Friday #316 hosted this week by Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook and at What’s for Dinner Sunday.