Bourbon and Brown Sugar Marinated Flank Steak

There's just something so American about steak and potatoes. The standard meal of the "burly" man. I'll give it this- it's true comfort food, and exactly what the doctor ordered in the middle of our region's third polar vortex of the month. 

This is one of my favorite ways to prepare flank steak. We don't eat steak a lot, but when we do, we devour. This recipe was actually a happy accident. I discovered it when I was first learning how to cook, about 6 years ago. My husband and I were living in our first apartment in Portland, OR and we were both working jobs with crazy hours. We didn't have a lot of time to cook, so I made stuff I could prep in the morning or the day before. I had put a flank steak in this marinade in the morning for that evening's dinner. The hubby ended up having to take clients out, and dragged me with him. We decided to leave the steak in the marinade and cook it the next night. You really aren't supposed to leave meat in marinade that long (it breaks down the fibers in the meat), so I was nervous 24 hours was too long. One bite instantly erased the doubt, however.

There is soooo much flavor in the marinade. It really tenderizes a tough cut like flank. I love the slightly sweet flavor from the bourbon, mingled with the salty, savoriness of the accompanying ingredients. The leftover marinade is boiled on the stove to kill any bacteria, infused with some cornstarch to thicken it up, and drizzled over the steak. Hmmmm, I wish I had some more. No such luck ----> :(

I hope everyone's having a great week so far. The hubby's had the whole week off, so we've been plowing through the Oscar nominations for Best Picture. It's our tradition. They are a hard bunch to watch this year! We've watched "The Wolf of Wall Street", "American Hustle", "Gravity", "Captain Phillips", and I made it through about 30 minutes of "12 Years A Slave". I had a very visceral reaction to "12 Years",  I'm not sure I'm going to be able to watch the whole movie. It's really hard to watch, I was crying within 10 minutes with no end in sight. The hubby might be watching it on his own. Today we are tackling "Dallas Buyer's Club" and "Her". Whew. So far, the only movie I've enjoyed watching is "American Hustle". I'd highly recommend it, the acting is superb and the movie doesn't drag.  I loved the fast pace. Ah, if only I chose the Oscars :)

Now back to the food-

Ingredients:

1-lb flank steak

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup green onions, minced

1/4 cup bourbon

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp cornstarch

Directions:

1. Combine flank steak through Worcestershire sauce in a large ziploc bag. Marinate in fridge for 24 hours, turning the bag occasionally.

2. To cook the steak- remove from fridge 1 hour before serving. Allow steak to come to room temperature. Preheat a gas grill over high heat. When hot, add steak, reserving the leftover marinade. Grill 5 minutes on each side, remove from the grill. Allow steak to rest on a plate, covered by tented foil, for 10 minutes before slicing. Slice meat against the grain for best results. 

3. While meat is resting, prepare sauce. Pour reserved marinade into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute. Mix cornstarch with 1/2 tsp water. Whisk cornstarch mixture into pan. Cook over medium heat until sauce begins to thicken. Remove from heat and serve over meat. 

*This sauce + mashed potatoes= heaven. I recommend mashed potatoes as the accompanying side dish.

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light.

Linked to: Weekend Potluck