What's for Dinner?

Was feeling under the weather today, and what better to make a body feel better than a good dinner? I was going through my recipes yesterday and found something I'd yanked from somewhere ages ago that I'd never made. No idea where I found the recipe now, but I decided it needed to be made tonight.

Flank Steak Roll

1 1/2 lbs beef flank steak
4 tsps dijon or german mustard
6 slices of bacon, diced
3/4 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup chopped celery
3 minced cloves of garlic
1/4 cup flour
1 (13.75oz) can beef broth

(The original recipe called for pickles instead of celery, but I consider pickles to be one of the most heinous crimes against food. I also added the garlic, because as a friend of mine said, if whoever made the recipe originally didn't include garlic, they were crazy)

In a large skillet on medium heat, cook bacon and onion until bacon is crisp





I added the celery and the garlic after the onions got translucent but before the bacon got crispy.

Flatten meat to approximately 1/2" thick. Putting it between two sheets of plastic wrap makes this a much less messy operation.



The recipe called for a 1 1/2 pound piece of flank steak. My grocery didn't have pieces this large, so I got two 3/4 pound pieces instead. I liked working with the smaller rolls.



Spread the mustard on the meat.





Spread the bacon mix over meat. Front load it towards the end you'll start rolling from, as it'll squeeze out the ends. Just scoop it up and add it back in.



Secure the roll with cooking twine, both ends and in the middle.



Brown the outside in the pan in which you cooked the bacon mixture.



Once browned, put the rolls in a glass casserole. Then add the flour to the skillet and mix in with the remainder of the meat juices and bacon grease. If it's too dry, add a tablespoon or two of butter. Slowly whisk in the beef broth and bring to a simmer.



Pour the gravy mixture over the rolls and bake at 325 for 90 minutes.





Let the meat rest for 10 minutes before carving.





Strain the gravy and separate the fat, and drizzle over the meat before serving. I served it with new potatoes tossed in olive oil, dried basil and parmesan, and a spinach salad with a vinaigrette, slivers of almonds, dried cherries, and grated parmesan.