Dave Wendel’s Flank Steak Roulade

Here’s what to gather to feed 4-6 people:

• ½ pound baby spinach
• ¼ cup water
• 1½ pounds flank steak
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1 teaspoon black pepper, divided
• 4 thick slices of bacon, diced
• 1 medium red pepper, diced
• 1 small green zucchini, diced
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 garlic clove, pressed
• 2 tablespoons ghee or coconut oil

Here’s what to do:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. Heat large saute pan over high heat until very hot.

3. Add spinach and water to the pan and cover.

4. Allow the spinach to steam undisturbed until wilted (about 2 minutes).  Uncover and allow spinach to cool.

5. Drain and press spinach to get all the water out.

6. Butterfly the flank steak with the fibers running parallel to your stabilizing hand, being careful not to slice it into two pieces.

7. Season inside of flank steak with salt and pepper to taste (approximately ¼ teaspoon of each).

8. Heat a separate saute pan over medium heat. Add bacon and cook for 3-4 minutes.

9. Toss in peppers and zucchini, cooking for 3-4 more minutes.

10. Next, sprinkle on chili powder, garlic, and ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Mix well. Continue to cook until vegetables are tender and remove from heat to cool.

11. Spread cooled bacon and vegetable mixture evenly over the seasoned flank steak.

11. Cover vegetable mixture with the steamed spinach. This will help keep the vegetables in place.

12. Roll the flank steak.

 13. Tie with butcher twine, and season the outside of the roulade with salt and pepper (approximately ¼ teaspoon each).

(If you are serving the roulade later (up to 3 days), place it in the fridge at this step. When you are ready to serve it, remove it from the fridge for about an hour to bring to room temperature. Then, follow the rest of the instructions.)

14. Heat large saute pan over high heat. Add ghee or coconut oil until it starts to smoke. Sear all of the sides of the roulade until golden brown.

15. Place roulade in oven and cook until the internal temperature reaches 120°F for medium rare (approximately 18-20 minutes). Let the roulade rest for 20 minutes after removing from the oven and the residual heat will raise the temperature of the meat to 125-130°F.

16. Slice and remove twine before serving.

Dave Wendel is a 1999 graduate of The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. He has worked in the food service industry for 20 years, and currently works as a buyer for a gourmet foods company. Dave became interested in Paleo as part of the comprehensive plan to manage his Type 1 Diabetes. In his free time, Dave relaxes with his wife, Ann Wendel, the owner of Prana Physical Therapy. You can connect with Dave here.