Steak is a pretty big deal at our house. We don't often see it on the table unless it's a special occasion or there's a good sale price, or both, but my fella's been craving it lately and I, wanting to oblige him, went looking for a way to provide it.
One of our local grocers had bone-in rib steaks on sale this week so I went to take a look, but the steaks were quite thin and, if we're going to splurge on steak, we prefer a thick cut. Since I had some other shopping to do at a nearby grocer who gives coupons in return for purchases at their gas bar, I explored my steak options there too.
With the Canada Day long weekend in sight, the chances of a mark-down did not look good. The rib steaks at the second store were a better cut, but a higher price. A little further down the meat aisle though, I found 3 small prime rib roasts - about 2 pounds each - all marked down by 30% because their "best by" date fell the following day. If I applied the coupons I'd saved up, I could get one of those roasts for just over $6.00.
I selected the roast that would be easiest to butcher, brought it home and cut it into two steaks, each about an inch thick and each weighing just over a pound.
We grilled one steak and put the other in the freezer for another day. The grilled steak provided steak dinner for the two of us, two steak sandwiches the following day, a main dish salad, and even after all that there was still about half a cup of thinly sliced steak left over. I used it to make a frittata.
Here's the recipe:
- 2 Tablespoons of pork fat (I rendered ours from the trimmings of a smoked pork picnic I'd recently cooked, but bacon fat would provide the same smokey goodness. If you're not a pork fat fan, substitute in butter or whatever cooking oil you prefer.)
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1/2 cup diced, cooked red skinned potatoes (I used half of a leftover boiled potato I had in the fridge)
- seasoned salt to taste
- 1/2 cup steamed green beans, cut in 1/2 inch pieces
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced, cooked rib steak, cut into 1-inch pieces
- pepper to taste
- 3/4 cup each shredded mozzarella and edam cheese, tossed together.
I began by melting the fat in a frying pan over medium-high heat.
When the fat was melted through and the pan hot, I added in the onion and potatoes.
Because I reckoned it would go well with the smokiness from the pork fat, I seasoned the onions and potatoes with a little seasoned salt.
I cooked the onions and potatoes, stirring occasionally, until the onions were soft and the vegetables had taken on a little colour.
then I added in the green beans and steak pieces and cooked them until they were heated through.
While the beans and steak were heating through, I cracked my eggs into a small bowl and beat them until they were well combined.
I reduced the burner heat to medium, and poured the eggs over the contents of the frying pan, then seasoned it all with freshly cracked black pepper.
When the bottom and sides of the frittata were cooked, but the center still liquid,
I transferred the pan to a 350 oven and continued cooking my frittata until the eggs were set.
When the eggs were set, I sprinkled the cheese over top and put the pan under the broiler until the cheese was melted.
We each had one quarter of the frittata for supper, with tomatoes and roasted carrots on the side.
I saved the other half of the frittata in the fridge, and used it to make sandwiches the next day.
I saved the other half of the frittata in the fridge, and used it to make sandwiches the next day.
And that's how you make a one-pound steak into five meals! Feeling pretty proud of myself just now. :)
