Candy Girl: Dijon-Rosemary Flat Iron Steak

It was 50 degrees here today. Cue Martha & The Vandellas "It's like heatwave..." This little taste of spring led me to fire up the grill. Crunching through the inch of ice/snow that is still on my deck reminded that it is February, but I remained undeterred. Woosh - the fire lit and I made my way back inside only to nearly fall from the ice that stuck to my boots. A few minutes later I threw the steak on the hot grill and anxiously waited for what lie ahead. Hold that thought.

I love steak. Buttery, melt-in-your-mouth filet mignon and a ribeye smothered in caramelized onions are two of my favorites. Another is the flat iron. I was thrilled when our Kroger's began selling flat iron steaks a few years ago after reading about this inexpensive, yet tender, cut of meat in several magazines. I now cook flat iron steaks more than any other cut. They are affordable, sometimes downright cheap, easy to fix, and have great flavor. I prefer to cook it whole and then slice thinly but it can be cut into individual servings. The Dijon-Rosemary marinade below is my favorite because I always have all of the ingredients on hand, has great flavor, and I can marinate the steak in it all day or just for a few minutes like I did tonight.

Back to the grill. I run outside to flip the steak (running because the sun was going down along with the temperatures) only to find the grill ran out of gas, oh, about 30 seconds after I put the steak on. I tong (bet you didn't know that was verb) the steak, carry it inside, heat up my cast iron skillet and throw it on the stove. A quick sear on both sides and 10 minutes in the oven and it was ready and almost as good as if it had stayed on the grill. Yum!

I have learned there are a few tricks to cooking a good steak. I would rather not have a steak at all if it is tough, overcooked, chewy, and/or dry. This is what works for me: First, I pull it out of the fridge for a half hour or so to get the chill off. Next, I rinse the steak and then pat dry with paper towels. A generous sprinkling of salt and pepper and, if I am not using a marinade, a drizzle of olive oil rubbed into the meat. Place the steak on a hot (this is important) grill or skillet. Do not overcook! Lastly, rest the meat loosely covered in foil before cutting or serving.

Dijon-Rosemary Steak
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, stemmed & chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 to 1 1/2 pounds of your favorite steak

Whisk together all of the ingredients (except steak) in a bowl. Place the steak in a plastic bag and pour the marinade in the bag, rubbing it all of the steak. Refrigerate for 1/2 hour to 8 hours.