Holiday Recipe #4: Christmas-Stuffed Sirloin
When we have guests for dinner, I always know in the back of my mind that I should rely on a tried-and-true recipe, something that I am certain will turn out well. Do I ever do that? No, of course not. I usually intend to, but then at the last minute, I decide to try something new.
Those exact circumstances created the inspiration for this Christmas-Stuffed Sirloin, so-named because of the red and green of the filling. I first made this stuffed steak when Jessie and Jerrod were in town, and it turned out to be a great company dish. It’s not so much trouble that you spend all afternoon in the kitchen but elegant enough to feel special. And, it tastes really, really good.
The only part that takes some time and concentration is preparing the meat, but I imagine you could get your butcher to do that part for you (I just wasn’t exactly sure when I bought mine what I planned to do with it!) I served it with Garlic-Roasted Sweet Potatoes and an arugula salad with Sara Foster’s Caesar dressing. Here’s how you make the steak:
Christmas-Stuffed Sirloin
3 lbs. sirloin
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
4 ounces goat cheese
4 T. basil pesto
1 T. olive oil
2 T. sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
2 t. chopped Kalamata olives
Flour
Preheat the broiler. If your steaks are more than 1/8-inch thick, you have two options. Either, you can pound them flat with a heavy-bottomed skillet, or you can butterfly them by slicing through the middle. Mine were especially thick, so I opted for the latter. You need a really sharp knife to make this work; one of mine did not turn out so pretty. Either way, once you get the meat thinned out, then tenderize it by beating it with the small end of a beer or Coke bottle (this is my dad’s technique; I’m sure there are many others). Rub olive oil into the tenderized meat; salt and pepper both sides. For the filling, mix together the pesto, olive oil, tomatoes, and olives until well-combined. Spread evenly over the ugliest side of each steak, and then roll up, longest side to longest side. Dust the outside of the steaks with flour; shake off any excess. Tie with kitchen string. Heat a large oven-proof skillet on high heat with just a touch of olive oil coating the bottom. When the skillet is very hot (a drop of water sizzles at the bottom), add the steak rolls, turning quickly, just to brown on all sides. Add the skillet to the broiler, and cook briefly, about 2-3 minutes per side. Slice to serve. Serves 4.