Rotolo di bistecca, meaning beef roll in Italian, is versatile, as you can change the filling ingredients to suit your personal taste. This is similar to braciolone, except this dish cooks in less time because the flank steak is butterflied. I have paired it simply with roasted shallots because the first course I served with this meal was a pasta dish but, you might enjoy it with orzo and roasted shallots.
Ingredients:
- 1 flank steak, 1 1/2 -2 pounds, butterflied
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound baby spinach
- Herb butter
- Kitchen twine
- If your butcher did not butterfly the flank steak for you, don’t worry, I’ll walk you through it. Beginning along the side of the steak, cut into it in the middle (top to bottom) keeping your knife blade level with the counter. Think of it as a sheet cake that you want to cut lengthwise into two thinner layers. The only difference is you’re not going to cut the flank steak all the way through so you end up with one piece of meat.
- Keeping the blade level, work your way down the side of the steak as you press down with your other hand to keep the steak from moving while you cut. Fold the top half back and continue cutting working your way through. When you get to the end be careful not to cut all the way through. Pound the meat to an even thickness.
- Season both sides with salt and pepper and with the long side nearest you, spread the herb butter evenly on the steak, leaving a 1-inch border. Top with the spinach layer and press down slightly onto the butter to make it easier to roll up.
- Tightly roll up the meat and tie with kitchen twine crosswise at 2-inch intervals.
- In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil and sear the beef roll on all sides until deliciously-brown (if the pot is also oven-proof you won’t have to dirty another one when you transfer the meat to the oven).
- Transfer the meat to a preheated 350*oven and roast about 25 minutes (internal temperature of meat should be 130*). Remove from oven and let rest 10 minutes.
- To serve, remove twine and slice.
