Flank Steak + Twice Baked Potatoes

I'm going to give out a reallllllly easy one that is still pretty impressive. The marinade I use for this flank steak is 100% store bought but so good on the meat. I can't believe I'm giving away my secret, but it's Kraft Zesty Italian Salad Dressing. I think it might cost less than $2 on sale. If you want to get ambitious, buy the Good Seasons Italian Salad dressing kit and make it yourself, but honestly this has all the same spices etc. so I think it's a great shortcut. This is a great dinner if you, again, want something that is easily prepared in advance but incredibly tasty. The potatoes are just basic baked potatoes (potato: wash, dry, poke holes in with fork, 350 degree oven for 1 hour until soft) but mixed with cheese and all sorts of flavorful additions. I have made this meal on several occasions, but most notably a long time ago for a rather large dinner party I was cooking for a boyfriend's birthday (+/-20 people: 2 flank steaks, 2 packages chicken breasts, 10 potatoes, this awesome zucchini for another post, and a big salad). It was a really fun night and all of our friends were so happy to be at a house, together, eating a homemade meal instead of spending tons of money at a restaurant where they won't let you have a dance party in the kitchen after dinner. Everyone was super impressed and asked for the recipes, so here they are (several years later). It is a meal you can make very easily for 2 people or for 20 people, which I love. Coupled with a green salad it is tasty, quick, and simple. The potatoes, once stuffed (before you bake them the 2nd time) can be frozen in tin foil and reheated in the oven which is really great if you want to make them for just a couple of people. It is also fine to just do regular baked potatoes, but if you have the time then these are worth it. Tonight when I made everything, I threw some asparagus into the marinade with the meat and grilled it, so that was the vegetable. I also found some burrata at the grocery store which I love, so I made an arugula, tomato and burrata salad for us (my friends Kara and Mykaella who I love to have for dinner). I went one step further and made a chocolate chip cookie pie, but I'll save that post for later in the week because my friends are over here carving pumpkins and I am being incredibly unhelpful.

Flank Steak- serves 4-6 people
-1 flank steak (I cut mine in half- against the grain- and froze the other half to use a different time. Flank steak is inexpensive and can be stretched quite far if you are smart about it. Great way to serve steak to a group without breaking the bank)
-1 bottle of Kraft Zesty Italian Salad Dressing

Spread steak out in a pan, cover with the salad dressing. I mess around with it and turn it over a bunch of times to make sure it's all coated in the marinade, but it really isn't necessary. You can marinate it the day/evening before you are going to cook it, or you can do it as late as 30 minutes before you put it on the grill.

Grill on medium high for about 3-4 minutes on each side, or until the meat is 120-125 degrees (for medium rare). Let rest for 5 minutes so the juices can redistribute throughout the meat and then slice against the grain, on the diagonal, VERY thinly. This is a pretty tough cut of meat so the more thinly you slice it, and the more perfectly medium rare it is, the better. Other note: you can substitute or add chicken breasts if you have a non-red-meat eater. I usually budget about 1/2 chix breast per person and then slice it into about 1 in thick slices.

Twice Baked Potatoes (makes 4 servings)- I have put these on my blog before but here is the recipe again

Ingredients:
-2 baking potatoes
-1/2 cup of sour cream
-3/4-1 cup of grated cheddar cheese (I ended up grating my own because it was significantly less expensive than buying pre-grated in a bag. Either is fine.)
-1/4 cup grated white onion (slightly less than 1/2 small onion)
-1 tbs butter
-1 tsp salt
-1 tsp pepper
-1 tsp paprika

Directions:
-Wash the potatoes and poke holes in them with a fork. Bake in a 350 degree oven for an hour, or until they are soft. You can also microwave them to speed up the process if you are short on time.
-Slice the potatoes in half, lengthwise. Scoop out the white part of the potato halves and put it into a mixing bowl with all of the other ingredients except the paprika. Mix together so that it looks kind of like mashed potatoes.
-Spoon the mashed potato mixture back into the potato skins and sprinkle each one with paprika.
-Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-45 minutes or until potatoes are golden brown on top.

Burrata with Tomatoes and Arugula
(Burrata is a really delicious cheese that is fresh mozz filled with cream. It is amazing spread on a piece of toast or cracker with the salad, or just by itself with the salad.)

-Spread arugula or any lettuce you like onto a plate.
-Slice a tomato and arrange it on the plate.
-Top with the burrata cheese, or regular mozzarella if you can't find burrata. If you prefer to leave the cheese off entirely, I won't be heartbroken either.
-Sprinkle with fresh basil (this is not mandatory but it is tasty)
-Drizzle with either a combination of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, or use the balsamic vinaigrette that I always keep in the fridge. The recipe is under the Great Summer Meal post.

Easy Steakhouse Quality Meal/If You Want to Impress Your Boyfriend

A few months ago, I really wanted to have a filet for dinner. Since I couldn't just have a plain filet by itself, I also decided to make myself some spinach with garlic and a twice baked potato as sides. Then I went crazy and made myself a cheese platter. For some reason, I just felt like making and eating a nice steak dinner. It turned out to be so good that I made the same meal for a boyfriend the next week, and he was thoroughly impressed! Not only was it SO nice to have an awesome steak with all of the fixins right in the privacy of your living room, it was hotter (temperature wise) than any steak I've ever gotten at a restaurant which I thought was nice.

For this meal, I went to Whole Foods (don't ever read the book "Eating Animals"...you will never be able to buy regular meat again) and purchased 2 pieces of beef tenderloin. After I asked the butcher what the farm was like where they came from (damn book), he was kind enough to slice off two 2-inch thick pieces of beef tenderloin for my delicious meal. I have also used a boneless NY Strip, cut into 2 pieces, and it was equally good. No need to purchase a cut of meat the size of your face, just get something that will be about 4 or 5 oz of meat per person.

Also while at Whole Foods, get a bag of fresh spinach, like the kind you would use for a salad. You will also need to grab some garlic, one baking potato, a small white or yellow onion, shredded cheddar cheese, a small container of sour cream, and some paprika. Also some olive oil if you don't have it. While you're at it, spend the extra $8 and invest in a good looking hunk of parmesan cheese....It will last for a long time in your fridge and you can grate some on top of the spinach and the potatoes. If you want to make a cheese platter, buy a wedge of soft blue cheese and some triscuits.

The thing that takes the longest to make in this whole meal is the twice baked potato. If you want, just buy 2 baking potatoes at the store and serve baked potatoes (potatoes, poke holes, 350 degree oven, one hour). But, twice baked, for the extra work, are SO good. Side note: when I made this for myself, I wrapped the other twice baked potato (uncooked) in foil and put it in the freezer for another time. This recipe is going to sound complicated, but, trust me it is worth it to learn and it is NOT actually hard.

Set a nice table, even if you are eating by yourself. If you are eating with another person, set out placemats, napkins, silverware, filled water glasses and 2 wine glasses. I rarely light candles, but if you think it would be a nice touch, go for it. Side note: the table settings look perfectly lovely on a coffee table (that's where I ate both times).

Here we go:

Set out your cheese platter if you want to have one (put cheese and crackers on a plate).

First,

Twice Baked Potatoes- 4 servings

Ingredients:

-2 baking potatoes

-1/2 cup of sour cream

-3/4-1 cup of grated cheddar cheese (I ended up grating my own because it was significantly less expensive than buying pre-grated in a bag. Either is fine.)

-1/4 cup grated white onion (slightly less than 1/2 small onion)

-1 tbs butter

-1 tsp salt

-1 tsp pepper

-1 tsp paprika

Directions:

-Wash the potatoes and poke holes in the with a fork. Bake in a 350 degree oven for an hour, or until they are soft. You can also microwave them to speed up the process if you are short on time.

-Slice the potatoes in half, lengthwise. Scoop out the white part of the potato halves and put it into a mixing bowl with all of the other ingredients except the paprika. Mix together so that it looks kind of like mashed potatoes.

-Spoon the mashed potato mixture back into the potato skins and sprinkle each one with paprika.

-Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-45 minutes or until potatoes are golden brown on top.

Next step- Prepare the spinach (wash it if you have to) and mince a couple cloves of garlic for it, put aside.


Next, for The Petite Filets:
-Turn on a frying pan (med-high). The more heavy duty the skillet, the better.
-Salt and Pepper each side of the filets.
-When the pan is hot, put each of the filets in the pan. Do NOT touch them for 2 minutes. After two minutes, flip them over and do two minutes on the other side without moving them. Then, put them into the oven, one on each plate, for 5 minutes.

While the filets are finishing in the oven and have 1-2 mins left, it's Spinach time.
-Put 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the pan you just used for the filets.
-Add the minced garlic.
-Immediately add ALL of the spinach in the bag (it seems like a lot, trust me it will cook down and be a perfect 2 serving size).
-Use tongs (same ones you used for the steaks are fine) to mix spinach around so it gets wilted. TRY not to overcook it but if you do it's not really a big deal.
-Grate some parm on it if you feel like.

Take the hot plates out of the oven that now have the potato and meat on them. Add some spinach to each plate, and serve. If you want, add a slice of blue cheese to the top of your filet for an added taste treat.

Side note on filet cooking: These times are usually pretty spot on for cooking a 2 inch thick piece of filet to medium rare. You can always cook it more, but if you make beef jerky then you have to call Dominos, so be careful.

Don't forget to have a bottle of red wine open (it should be about half way consumed by now) and an extra one on the table/coffee table/counter. Enjoy. Each bite will be SO delicious, the potatoes will be all cheesy and soft, the meat should be perfectly medium rare, and the spinach with the subtle taste of garlic and parmesan will be amazing. This meal is a real treat, and a perfect little dinner party for one, or two.

Since this is a meal that can definitely be made for one person, do a run-through by yourself before attempting to do it for another person (that's what I did). That way, you can get your times down and figure out at which points things need to happen. You will also be much more confident in your final product.


Love and Happy Hostessing!!