Friday, November 5, 2010

Marinated Flank Steak with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Tiffany's Pinto Beans that Rock!

Marinated Flank Steak with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Pinto Beans that Rock!
My dear husband is a bona fide world traveler!  A week ago he explored the Pacific Rim, stopping in Shanghai, Qingdao, Seoul, Osaka, Singapore, Shenzen and Taipei, to name a few.  He flew his own chariot out of Anchorage, AK, but not before he sent me some amazing, envy-provoking shots of his mouthwatering meals from a little place called the Glacier Brewhouse.  I think his co-workers thought he was a bit odd shooting his meals and sending them home to me, but I feel like I almost lived through every bite.  Fresh Blackened Alaskan Salmon, Macadamia Crusted Halibut and some sort of decadent Brownie Sundae all made the photo line-up, and also made me extraordinarily envious!

Macadamia Crusted Halibut with Mango Salsa from the Glacier Bay Brewhouse in Anchorage, AK

On to Asia he enjoyed numerous restaurants serving a plethora of fresh sushi in addition to a highly regarded German Pub featuring the best Schnitzel he's ever tasted.  iChat became our communication, and he would occasionally face the computer camera out of his hotel windows, almost making me feel like I was there.  This trip had him visiting Seoul, South Korea where he took advantage of a fascinating excursion to the DMZ, exploring the third of four North Korean-dug tunnels discovered by the South under the DMZ... he was physically <170 meters from North Korea!  Another stop had him viewing the Olympic Torches in Qingdao (the site of the yachting and rowing competitions for the 2008 Olympics), and the next shopping in Shanghai.  Liv was thrilled with his return and a special bag full of Japanese and Korean sweets!

Singapore soared to the 2nd spot on his favorite cities list!
Qingdao, China - Olympic torch and flags (site of yachting and rowing competitions in the '08 Olympics)
Shot of the bridge to Kansai Airport, Japan (built entirely on a man-made island!)
Heading home after 14 days on the road had him carrying all of his wonderful new experiences, but also craving a good steak.  One of our favorites, an all American meal, is Cooking Light's Bourbon and Brown Sugar Flank Steak with good old Garlic Mashed Potatoes.  Flavorful steak is tenderized with a bourbon laced marinade which combines beautifully with fluffy, garlicky mashed potatoes.  

As the steak soaked in its marinade, I stumbled across the perfect side dish in Tiffany's (I Don't Cook, But my Boyfriend Does) Pinto Beans that Rock.  And rock they did!  The comment that got me was, "Or, you can make these amazing pinto beans that your guest will not only remember, but rave about during the meal, and even better, quietly ask you for the coveted recipe."   

I can't find the words to adequately describe these extraordinarily tasty beans, but they totally made our meal.  Spicy with hot peppers, bursting with flavor from a few slices of crumbled bacon and seasoned to perfection with a simple dose of thyme and cumin, these beans are a keeper for sure. With an amazing photo to match the amazing flavor of these beans, I'm going to send you to her site for the recipe for Pinto Beans that Rock and I will post our old time favorite steak marinade recipe below.



Bourbon and Brown Sugar Flank Steak with Garlic Mashed Potatoes
adapted from Cooking Light

Steak:
2 Tbs  packed dark brown sugar
1/4  cup  minced onions
1/4  cup  bourbon
1/4  cup  low-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbs  spicy mustard
1/2  tsp  freshly ground black pepper
1/4  tsp  Worcestershire sauce
1  (2-pound) flank steak, trimmed
Cooking spray
1/2  teaspoon  cornstarch

Potatoes:
3  pounds  small red potatoes
6  garlic cloves, peeled
1/2  cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/3  cup milk
2 1/2  Tbs  butter
1  tsp salt
1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
2 - 3 Tbs  chopped fresh chives or green onions
Garnish:
8  fresh chives, cut into 1-inch pieces
To prepare steak, combine first 7 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag; add steak. Seal and marinate in refrigerator 8 hours or overnight, turning bag occasionally. Remove steak from bag, reserving marinade.

Prepare grill.

Place steak on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 5 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Let stand 10 minutes. Cut diagonally across grain into thin slices.

Combine reserved marinade and cornstarch in a saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.

To prepare potatoes, place potatoes and garlic in a large Dutch oven; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 30 minutes or until tender. Drain.

Return potatoes and garlic to pan, and place over medium heat. Add sour cream, milk, butter, salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Mash potato mixture to desired consistency with a potato masher. Stir in chopped chives. Mound 3/4 cup potatoes on each of 8 plates; arrange 3 ounces steak around each serving of potatoes. Drizzle 1 tablespoon sauce on each plate; sprinkle with chive pieces, if desired.

Lightning over Hong Kong


16 comments:

  1. Love the all-American flavour to welcome back your husband. I wouldn't really be able to eat much besides the flank steak, but I would eat that with gusto!

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  2. Oh my! Sounds and looks incredible!

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  3. Bourbon and brown sugar and flank steak...yum! Love this recipe! I'm sure your hubs was happy to have such a wonderful meal.;)

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  4. What a wonderful adventure your husband was on -thanks for giving us a glimpse (you too Mr Liv Life). My huisband and I just love a good flank steak, this sounds like a winner!

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  5. I love bourbon marinated flank steaks and it's my go-to marinade for flavor. That looks amazing. Thanks for sharing your find with the beans with us. I'll have to check them out.

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  6. Oh myy... that meat looks soooo delicious!!

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  7. Thank you for the link and your kind words Kim! I am so glad you and your world traveler enjoyed them! I am envious of people who get to travel to all those beautiful, exotic places, some day I will get there....In the meantime, I want to make that Flank steak!

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  8. I LOVE this post!!! Lovely photos! That halibut looks sooooo darn good. I, too, envy my husbands trips. He's been to so many places and now that his wife loves to cook, he tries to explore the best places to eat!

    And what the PERFECT welcome home dinner! Steak potatoes, and beans! That's some good man nom nom fo sho! My husband would surely appreciate it. My husband will be home the week of thanksgiving, so he will be eating whatever I can scrounge up from the pantry and freezer. But hopefully Thanksgiving dinner will be the perfect welcome home meal.

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  9. That flank steak sure sounds comforting. Need to try this with the bourbon. Thanks for the whirlwind travel tour. I'd love todo that with my wife..

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  10. I wish I could travel to all these beautiful places. Well perhaps when my son grows up I will do that. In the meantime I just enjoy the pictures. I love mashed potatoes and the steak and the beans are looking sooo good.

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  11. We love bourbon/soy/brown sugar marinated pork tenderloin. Can't wait to try the marinade with the mustard and Worcestershire added in. In fact, I've got a strip steak thawing for the two of us for dinner tonight and I do believe it's going to get a bath in this! Thanks so much :-) Kate @ kateiscooking

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  12. What nice welcome home meal for your husband. I have been may places through photos and videos:)

    Since I don't eat steak, but I do eat pork tenderloin, I'll use the glaze on the pork tenderloin. Thanks for the recipe.

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  13. My husband loves bourbon and steak. The combination of the two together is a perfect meal for him. Will have to make this. Great photos - thank you for sharing!!

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  14. What a great meal to return home to :o) My husband would have loved eating this as well! Great pictures and the little bit about the best Schnitzel in Asia made me laugh, you guys should come to my house, I certainly can produce a great Schnitzel myself ;o)

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  15. My oldest daughter lives in Anchorage. I've eaten at the glacier brewhouse many times.. the food is phenomenal and they have a bread pudding with Yukon Jack sauce to die for!! I hope your hubby tried it!.

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