Name: Firehouse Smothered Steak
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 flank steak (about 1 1/2 pounds); Salt and pepper; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; 10 ounces white mushrooms , quartered; 1 red bell pepper , seeded and sliced thin; 1 onion , halved and sliced thin; 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce; 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Why This Recipe Works

Flank steak recipes are great weeknight options because they’re flavorful and cook quickly. Our Firehouse Smothered Steak recipe dresses up this inexpensive cut with a spicy sauce. For the best results, we found it best to cook the meat to rare or medium-rare. Cooking the recipe’s salted vegetables covered helped draw out their juices, which created an ideal sauce for the steak and cut out the need to marinate the meat. We needed very little red pepper flakes to give this steak recipe its “firehouse" flavor. Adding the spice to the vegetables ensured a kick in every bite. Slicing the flank steak thinly against the grain shortened the muscle fibers and ensured tender meat.

Instructions

Pat steak dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook steak until well browned and cooked to desired doneness, 4 to 6 minutes per side. Transfer to cutting board and tent with foil.

Heat remaining oil in empty skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add mushrooms, bell pepper, onion, pepper flakes, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cover and cook until vegetables have softened and released their juices, about 3 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook until beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Off heat, stir in Worcestershire, butter, and any accumulated meat juices.

Slice beef thinly on bias and against grain. Transfer to platter and smother with vegetable mixture.