Budget Cuts - Denver Steak + Marinade

So what if I have steak on the brain? It's nearly summer and grilling season is here. Though I try not to eat too much Red Meat, I can't deny that it's a treat now and again, and I am always looking for flavorful cuts that won't break the bank (though a nice Ribeye will always have my heart). Today's PSA is about a not-so-well-known budget cut of Steak I've just discovered, thanks to the good people at Fresh Direct. 

Say hello to the Denver Cut:

Denver Cut Steak in a foolproof marinade, Photo: NK 

A little chewy, a nice amount of fat but not grissly, and very flavorful - not unlike Hanger Steak. 

If you can't find it, some other cost-effective favorites include the aforementioned Hanger or less ubiquitous Edge of Eye - the former is tougher than the latter but also super tasty.

Now that you've got that all down pat, time to cook! Below you'll find a great marinade that we tried. Reserve half of it to make a dressing for your veggie accompaniments. The more you marinate, the better it will be. Overnight is ideal. Here's a pic of the delicious result.  Happy Memorial Day and have fun grilling! 

Denver Cut Steak Marinade with Caper Vinaigrette Sauce for Serving

Makes enough for 2 8-Ounce Steaks

Recipe from Fine Cooking

Ingredients: 

3 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar

1/2 Cup Olive Oil

2 Garlic Cloves, minced 

1/2 teaspoon Anchovy Paste 

1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard 

(+ 2 8-Ounce Denver Cut Steaks)

(+ optional Salad and/or Vegetable side dish as you wish) 

2 Tablespoon Capers

1 Tablespoon Minced Italian Parsley  

Method: 

Combine the first five ingredients and mix well. In a glass dish or tupperware, pour all but a quarter cup of the marinade over the Steaks and refrigerate for 2 hours to 24 hours (hint: 24 hours is better!).

When ready to cook, allow excess marinade to drip off Steaks and prepare them on the grill, stovetop or to your liking. When ready to serve, take the reserved 1/4 cup Marinade and add Capers and Parsley. Stir. Drizzle over steaks and any accompanying salad or vegetable for serving. Enjoy! 

Easy Assembly - Marinated London Broil With Potatoes & Arugula

Don't cook, assemble!

This is the mantra I always return to in attempting to keep my hors d'oeuvres simple and largely make-ahead so that I too can enjoy my own parties instead of being stuck in the kitchen. This smart strategy comes directly from Ina Garten, one of my easy entertaining muses. 

Last weekend, I applied the same concept to a main course that I created thanks to some visual inspiration  -- THIS mouthwatering dish from Barbuto NYC which fortuitously appeared my Instagram feed at just the right time...  

I had to have it. And because I could see that Jonathan Waxman's celebrated restaurant's creation was composed of just a few basic elements, I didn't feel compelled to try and hunt down the recipe. Instead, I thought about the big components (meat+potatoes+greens), and considered the food items I already had on hand (mainly, a very nice and comparatively affordable London Broil we'd grabbed on sale). From there, I created my game plan (London Broil lends itself to marinating) and a short shopping list (Mixed Potatoes, Arugula and Bleu Cheese).  

A few hours later, we had ourselves one delicious weekend dinner. The moral? When you don't get hung up on achieving perfection wonderful things are bound to happen.

Marinated London Broil with Potatoes & Arugula - Inspired by Barbuto, Photo: NK

Am I neurotic? Definitely. Do I often overthink my cooking? Sure. 
I do it so you don't have to.
BUT, you can still turn out a great, easy meal without all that angst. Turning your everyday cooking into something special is simple if you: 

Use delicious ingredients

Keep them in their simplest form

and assemble them beautifully. 

That's what today's meal is all about --- finding food inspiration and running with it. 

The largely visual world of the internet is great for this. From Pinterest, to Instagram to good old cooking mags, there's nothing wrong with using images to assemble your own winning recipes - your way. Do so without fear of failure. Keep things basic and build on what you know. The results will probably surprise you. The below is not really a recipe as much as a roadmap - don't hesitate toT put your own twist on it and have a little fun. 

Marinated London Broil With Rainbow Potatoes & Arugula

Inspired by Barbuto/Jonathan Waxman + Marinade by Epicurious

Serves 6 

You will need: London Broil + Your Desired Marinade Ingredients + Mixed, Small Potatoes + Greens of your choice like Arugula and crumbled Bleu Cheese (+ Olive Oil, Salt, Pepper)

Step One - MARINATE - Prepare the Marinade as below and let London Broil sit for 4 to 24 hours using the Epicurious recipe below. You can also feel free to sub-in any well flavored grilled Steak that suits your taste (Hanger Steak as in Barbuto's original dish, or others such as Flank or Skirt would be great choices). 

Grilled Marinated London Broil - Screen Shot & Recipe Courtesy of Epicurious

Step Two - Start your grill for the Steak (or ready your stovetop grill pan) and Preheat the oven (450 degrees for your Roasted Potatoes). Now prepare your Greens - Spinach, or Arugula would be good choices. Wash them, dry them and place them in a bowl. Sprinkle with a little Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper. Set aside. Now roast your Potatoes -- toss 2.5 Lbs of assorted small Potatoes, cut in half if you like, (we used Purple Potatoes, Fingerlings, and Baby Yukon Golds) in Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper and BAKE them until tender - for about 30 minutes at 450. About 25 minutes before they are done, begin grilling the Steak until medium-rare (see timing and directions ABOVE). When it's finished and medium rare let it rest for 10 minutes. Slice Steak against the grain. 

Step Three - Serve - Arrange all ingredients on the plate as pictured and sprinkle with crumbled Bleu Cheese. If plates have gotten cool you can put them in the oven for a minute to rewarm.

Serve and enjoy!  

Father's Day Grilling - Vietnamese Marinated Flank Steak

We hope you had a wonderful Father's Day Weekend. Dads are worth celebrating and their importance cannot be overstated. From dads in the traditional sense to those who raise other people's biological children with love and care (to mothers who serve as fathers too) you make a difference! 

Ask any American Dad what their idea of a good meal is and you'll inevitably hear "beer and beef." 

Vietnamese Marinated Flank Steak, Photo: NK 

My dad is no longer with us and even after almost ten years, I miss him nearly every day. He'd definitely have loved a dish like today's Vietnamese Marinated Flank Steak with Cucumber Salad. He was a great cook in his own right, and he taught me to be casual in the kitchen and not take myself so seriously (ok, that part is a work in progress!).  Dad also truly appreciated good food. We made and enjoyed countless fantastic meals together- always along with many laughs. My wonderful memories of him sustain me. To this day, I still can't make a bowl of Linguine and Clam Sauce (his specialty) without thinking of him. 

There was one really bright spot this Father's day - celebrating my husband who is an amazing father too!

This Vietnamese-style Flank Steak from the New York Times Diner's Journal 

was his idea entirely. I was excited to try making it because it's also wonderful exemplar of Neurotic Kitchen's much repeated mantra - fancy looking food need not be hard to make! 

Let's chat a bit about this dish.

Marinade & Dressing, Photo: NK

This is a really smart recipe. 

The Steak Marinade also serves as the zippy and delicious dressing for the accompanying Cucumber and Radish Salad that helps make this dish's presentation exceptional. More importantly, the result is as delicious as it looks. 

Since we did not adapt this recipe, I would like to share my experience making it in the hopes that it will be helpful to you so you can nail it on the first try (it's pretty foolproof!).

Our Recipe Notes: 

Timing the Marinade: The recipe recommends you marinate the meat between a half hour to 24 hours. We marinated this for 3 hours and the flavor was fantastic. I thought it was just right, actually. I don't know that it would benefit from much more time, not that I'd quibble with a recipe in the New York Times Diner's Journal.

Cook Time: Melissa Clark presents several options for cooking this Steak but we had to go

Perfect Medium Rare, Photo: NK 

with the instructions for grilling. Since the weather wasn't on our side, we saved the charcoal and fired up my favorite double-burner grill pan (with griddle) instead. The Flank Steak, about 1.75 pounds came out a perfect medium rare (to the rare side) with a cook time of 4 minutes per side. The recipe recommends 3 minutes per side on a very hot grill for rare. 

Portion Size: Admittedly, my husband and I are overly enthusiastic eaters but if you serve this without any other side dishes (entirely possible since the salad is included), I would say it is closer to 3-4 servings, rather than what the recipe says is 4-6. 

Serving: Allow steak to rest about 5 minutes and the slice the Flank Steak against the grain. 

Here's the recipe as originally published in the NYT:

**ENJOY AND A BIG SHOUT OUT TO ALL THE GREAT DADS OUT THERE!**