This dish elevates the classic grilled steak to the next level, and the pesto inside makes the steak super moist and the presentation very dramatic.
- 1 ½ cups packed fresh mint leaves
- 2 ½ cups baby spinach
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- ⅓ cup pine nuts
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup grated grana padano
- ½ - 1 ½ cups extra-virgin olive oil, depending on your desired thickness
- One 3-pound flank steak
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
For the pesto, combine the mint, spinach, garlic, pine nuts, salt, pepper and grana padano in a food processor and pulse to partially combine. Turn the processor on Auto and drizzle in the olive oil, a half cup at a time, until the ingredients start to come together into a chunky paste. Make sure to add the oil a little at a time to ensure a nun-runny pesto.
Place the flank steak flat on a work surface with the grain of the meat running perpendicular to you. Using a long, thin, very sharp knife, butterfly the meat by slicing through the long side of the steak, opening it up as you go, stopping 1/2 inch short of cutting the steak in two. Season with salt and pepper.
Spread the pesto all over the meat, leaving a 1 1/2-inch space all around the edge. Roll up the steak, with the grain running the length of the roll, and tie up with kitchen string every 2 inches. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to cook. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Rub the steak with olive oil then sear it in a very hot, cast-iron skillet over high heat or on a very hot grill. Place it in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes for medium-rare steak.
Place the steak on a cutting board and allow it to rest for 10 minutes. Remove the strings and carve across the grain into 1-to 2-inch slices.
Serve alongside Baby Potatoes Roasted in Parchment Paper.
