Flank Steak Bites w/ Roasted Red Pepper Sauce {Superbowl Snack Idea!}

Who is ready for the big game??   Here is another EXTREMELY easy and very yummy Superbowl snack idea for your party or for any gathering you may have planned, for that matter.  I made these a few days back and, if you saw the Chili Cheese Biscuit recipe I posted, you know I am ALL about easy when it comes to fun appetizers.  Gives me more time to enjoy the party!

{Warning:  Team rivalry is one thing, but your guests may get into their own “fighting match” over these savory little bites.  The Management here at “ALC” cannot be held responsible if this happens.  I was able to get pictures taken when I made these this past weekend, and then The Husband and The Teenager devoured the entire plate.  I think I got to eat one and that’s only because I was taking a picture}.

You don’t need many ingredients for this little snack.  Just these + flank steak + two slices of your favorite cheese (and a little olive oil, some  minced garlic and salt & pepper for the marinade and seasoning).  Sauce recipe listed below.  And here’s the part where I tell you that if you don’t eat beef or are a vegetarian, that you can use marinated chicken or just roasted veggies in this dish (it’s true).  So, as always, make this your own.

That little red tin is smoky paprika and it is a great addition to your pantry for lots of reasons, this recipe being one of them.

First, we  marinated our flank steak overnight with olive oil, minced garlic and salt and pepper.

{Fun Fact:  Flank steak is an interesting cut of meat.  It is relatively long and flat, and it is best grilled whole, rather than slicing into into typical “steak” portions.  Once cooked, flank steak should always be sliced AGAINST THE GRAIN for it to be the most tender.  It is also a pretty cost effective cut of meat, however, and can be used in a variety of ways}.

The Husband grilled the steak to barely (rarely?) medium leaving a nice pink in the middle.  I prefer my steaks cooked medium rare, and I have found this especially makes flank steak the most tender.  But you can cook your steak to whichever temp you prefer.  He even thought to take this picture – albeit a bit dark – while grilling it so that is why I am including it.  He’s so cute (and he probably knew I would ask “WHYYY didn’t you take a picture of THAT part??”).   He’s learning.  ;)

Remember, since the steak will be baked for a bit again, you may consider medium rare.  I preheated the oven to 375*.  Once we let the meat rest for 10 minutes (VERY important when cooking any steaks – I’ll add a link to a really informative article about this at the end) and it was cool enough to handle, I was able to slice several thin strips.  I then cut each strip into thirds (or fourths, depending on the length) to create little “steak bites”.

Take the bite sized pieces and press them between paper towels to get out some excess moisture.  You will have leftover steak – we cut ours into more strips and used to top a nice green salad  (drizzled with the extra Red Pepper Sauce!) and we also had a few slices as a version of “steak and eggs” for breakfast!  So, depending on how many people you are feeding, you may easily get more than one meal out of your flank steak. Love that!!

I set the steak aside and grabbed some cheese slices.  I had Swiss on hand so that is what I used (I also had a block of pepper jack and very seriously considered using that but the red pepper sauce has such a nice kick so didn’t want to make them TOO spicy on this first go).  You could also use cheddar or whatever cheese you prefer.   I sliced the cheese (1 thin slice plus a little extra) into little squares so those were ready to go, and opened up the crescent rolls.  Since each pack has 8 triangles, I cut them in half to make 16 triangles.

You get the idea.  I have done this for years and years to make pigs in a blanket using “Little Smokies” (another ridiculously easy appetizer) so this isn’t really a new concept, but they are always a HUGE favorite.  In fact, many times, I just lay out the crescent dough and push it together to just make one sheet of dough and then cut a bunch of strips and roll them up.  Talk about simple!

Once the dough is cut, simply place a piece of steak at the top of the triangle and place a piece of cheese on top.

Roll up each bite as you would a crescent roll and place onto your baking sheet.  I baked until JUST golden brown – about 10-11 minutes.  Keep an eye on ‘em, though.  Anything past “puffy-golden-brown-pastry-goodness” may mean your steak will get too overly done (and your dough may be too browned on the bottom).

While those were baking, I started the “Roasted Red Pepper Dipping Sauce” .  This takes less than 10 minutes to make if you have your ingredients all ready to go.   Simply take:

• 1 cup of roasted red peppers
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 tsp. smoky paprika (regular is ok too but the smoky paprika adds a lot to the “chipotle” style flavor)
• 1/4 tsp.  of both salt and pepper
• 1/4 tsp. of cayenne pepper (optional – DEFINITELY adds a spicy little kick)

Using paper towels (several!) make SURE to pat as much liquid out of the red peppers as possible so the sauce will not be too runny.

I love red peppers.  We have four that are ready to harvest in our container garden. Exciting!

I added all of the ingredients to my mini food processor (handy little thing for small jobs) and blended until creamy.  Done.  And it is YUMM-O.   To thicken, add a bit more mayo and then season again to taste.  This sauce is also a great veggie dip or could be drizzled onto fajitas, and more. I could pretty much drink it.  But I digress…

Arrange your finished steak bites on a platter with the dipping sauce and enjoy!

If you are having more than, say, TWO people at your party, you might as well make at least five batches of these since you have all that flank steak anyway.  Just make sure to hoard some for yourself before the guests arrive.  Because, like any good wide receiver, when they’re gone… they’re GONE!

Yes, you have to humor me with my little football jokes and references since…  I don’t watch football.   EXCEPT for the playoffs.  I mean, why even bother until it gets down to the last few teams??  During the playoffs I “latch on” to a team and act like a crazy fan and The Husband says he doesn’t know me.

Ok…  then does that mean I get all of the flank steak bites??

xoxo,

Claire

(Article: The Food Lab – The Importance of Letting Meat Rest)
Linking up to these great parties and to  Tatertots & Jello
 

Tagged as: Appetizers, Crescent rolls, Flank Steak Bites, Flank Steak recipe, Party Food, Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce, Superbowl Party Food