This is another great steak recipe…..plus fries!  I know you will think this is a lie, but I don’t really eat that much red meat.  It really is by chance that I have posted so many steak recipes on Acorns On Glen.  I eat a lot of fish, pasta and chicken, but every so often, I crave a steak.  So the next time you crave a steak, here is a great recipe to cure your craving.  It all begins with that pretty little picture of meat above….the hanger steak.   

A hanger steak is a cut of beef steak prized for its flavor.  In the past, it was sometimes known as “butcher’s steak” because butchers would often keep it for themselves rather than offer it for sale.  Hanger steak resembles flank steak in texture and flavor.  The hanger steak is not particularly tender and is best marinated and cooked quickly over high heat and served rare or medium-rare, to avoid toughness.  Anatomically, the hanger steak is said to “hang” from the diaphragm of the steer.  The diaphragm is one muscle, commonly cut into two separate cuts of meat: the “hanger steak” traditionally considered more flavorful, and the outer “skirt steak” composed of tougher muscle within the diaphragm. The hanger is attached to the last rib and the spine near the kidneys.  The hanger steak has historically been more popular in Europe, but over the last several years, it has slowly become more popular in the United States.

What I liked about this recipe was how easy it was to prepare.  I loved the taste of the marinade and enjoyed serving the steak with Dijon mustard and carmelized shallots on the side.  The other great thing was the addition of the oven-baked fries into the mix.  I’ve never met a potato I didn’t like.  What could be bad about steak and fries?  I baked my fries into more of a hash brown looking dish versus cooking them longer so they would be crispy fries, but the choice is yours.  Here we go as we cook us up some steak and fries:

Ingredients:

For the steak:

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup sherry vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard, plus more for serving
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of hanger steak
• 5 medium shallots, halved or quartered
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Whisk together 1/4 cup oil, the vinegar, garlic, mustard and Worcestershire sauce in a large glass dish.  Place steak in dish; turn to coat with marinade.  Let steak marinate, turning often, for at least 20 minutes.  I kept my steak in the marinade for about an hour.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add shallots; cook, stirring often, until just golden, 2 to 3 minutes.  Reduce heat to medium-low.  Season with salt.  Cook, adding 1/4 cup water in batches as needed to keep shallots from sticking, until tender and caramelized, 15 to 18 minutes.  Transfer shallots to a plate.

Wipe out skillet.  Heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Remove steak from marinade; pat dry.  Season with salt and pepper.

 Cook steak, turning once, until an instant-read thermometer registers 140 degrees (for medium-rare), 10 to 12 minutes per side.  Tent with foil; let stand at room temperature 10 minutes.  Season with pepper.

Meanwhile, wipe out skillet; reheat shallots over medium heat.  Thinly slice the steak and serve with shallots and mustard.

Ingredients:

For the fries:

• 2-3 russet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for baking sheets
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Using a mandolin, cut the potatoes into ultra-thin shapes (or “shoestrings”).  You can do this up to four hours ahead; to prevent discoloration, place cut potatoes in a bowl of cold water in the refrigerator until ready to use, then gently pat dry with paper towels.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Lightly coat two baking sheets with oil.  Toss together potatoes, oil, and 1 teaspoon salt in a bowl.  Dividing evenly among prepared baking sheets, arrange potatoes in a single layer.

Bake, turning potatoes with a metal spatula a few times and rotating sheets halfway through, until crisp and golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes.  Transfer potatoes to a large piece of parchment paper; let cool 5 minutes, then season with salt and pepper, and serve.

Pretty easy, right?  Both recipes feed 4 people.  Although I have posted a couple of steak recipes here on Acorns On Glen, I have found that each one is very different based on the cut of steak that we used.  See which one you like better-ribeye vs. hanger steak.  I think you’ll find that both of them are equally as tasty as the other.  Enjoy!  Have you liked the recipes we’ve posted so far here on Acorns On Glen?