I Love You, Flank Steak Pinwheels — Be My Valentine

Hmmm…we used to (every so often) get these pre-made at Trader Joe’s. They don’t seem to have them anymore which is just fine — they are very easy to make yourself! Give it a try! Plus, nothing says “I love you” like red meat and a bottle of wine! Grrrr!!!
Besides, this was jwa’s request for Valentine’s dinner!
Flank Steak Pinwheels with Boursin, Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Based on a recipe from Eating Well magazine
2/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil)
2 cups boiling water
1 pound flank steak, trimmed of fat
1 clove garlic, minced
3 oz herbed cheese spread, such as Boursin
1 cup baby spinach leaves
2 tbsp olive oil
kosher salt & freshly ground pepper
15 or so button mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup Cabernet Sauvignon wine (plus the rest of the bottle for drinkin’!)

Place sun-dried tomatoes in a bowl; pour boiling water over them and let steep until softened, about 10 minutes. Drain and chop. Meanwhile, place steak between 2 large pieces of plastic wrap. Pound each side of the steak thoroughly with the pointed side of a meat mallet until the steak is an even 1/4-inch thickness. Salt and pepper it good.

Align steak so the the grain is running horizontally. Rub garlic all over one side of the steak. Spread cheese lengthwise in a 3-inch-wide strip down the middle of the steak.

Top with the sun-dried tomatoes and spinach. Starting at one edge of a long side, roll the steak up tightly, tucking in the filling as you go.

Carefully rub a bit more salt and pepper all over the outside of the steak roll. Turn the roll so the overlapping edge is on top. Use 4 pieces of kitchen twine and secure steak roll in four places. Slice between the twine to make 4 pinwheels. Trim the edge pieces if necessary to keep it all nice looking. .

Oil your skillet and cook the the pinwheels 5-7 minutes per side for medium-rare. After you flip them, add the mushrooms to the pan and let them start to golden up.

Use a spatula when turning them to prevent too much filling from falling out. Let the pinwheels rest for 5 minutes before serving. Remove the twine from each piece.

While the beef is resting, continue to cook the mushrooms in the tasty, tasty beef drippings. Mmm….beef drippings. Saute for about 3-4 more minutes and at the end pour in the wine and let it reduce about a minute or two. Serve the steaks with the mushrooms. Now, if this doesn’t get you some love, I don’t know what will…

Oh, and besides being delicious, deglazing the mushrooms with some wine should get up any cheese that is stuck to your pan. Awesome!

February 15th, 2008 at 10:21 am
SCRUMPTIOUS! I just love the glaze and how moist it looks. I am sure it was a hit! A SPECIAL V-DAY HIT!
Hope all is well in Portland. Hope 2 c u guys in May.
February 15th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
I’m not the biggest fan of steak, but those look fantastic! I could definitely go for that.
February 16th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
That looks divine. I love good rouladen. Hey, I don’t see many Portland folks around - I’m glad I found your place!
February 20th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
I’m not big on red meat but you really got my attention with this dish! And flank steak is lean, right?
March 11th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
I love this blog… and I LOVE this recipe, too! Keep up the great ideas!