A flank steak is a relatively lean, inexpensive, but exquisitely flavorful and tender cut of beef, more and more readily available at supermarkets. Only 389 calories each serving.
ingredients
Rosemary Salt
Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes
Steak
directions
For the rosemary salt, combine chopped rosemary and salt on a cutting board and chop together. Stir in the pepper; transfer to a small bowl, and set aside.
Place the cauliflower in a steamer basket, set over boiling water, cover, and steam 15 minutes. Transfer to a food processor, add the buttermilk and 1/4 cup of the milk, and puree until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Meanwhile, place potatoes in a saucepan, add cold salted water to cover by about 2 inches, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, return to the saucepan, and heat over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes to dry. Mash with a potato masher.
Add the cauliflower puree, 1/4 cup milk, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Stir to blend, and heat over medium-low heat, adding more milk as needed for a creamy consistency. Stir in the butter and the scallions. Cover, and set aside to keep warm.
Heat a grill or grill pan. Sprinkle the steak on both sides generously with the rosemary salt, pressing it into the meat. (Reserve the remainder for another use.) Grill the steak 4 minutes on one side. Turn, and grill to rare, 3 to 4 more minutes. Remove to a plate and let stand 5 minutes. Thinly slice the beef against the grain, recuperating all of the juices. Stir juices and balsamic vinegar in a measuring cup (for ease of pouring), or bowl.
To serve, make a bed of lettuce on each of four plates. Arrange one-quarter of the steak slices on top of the lettuce. Spoon some of the cauliflower mashed potatoes. Scatter tomatoes over all, drizzle with the balsamic-meat juices, and garnish with the chopped mint.
An herb salt is a fast and easy way to add flavor to meats and vegetables. Store leftover at room temperature, and use on poultry, fish, other meats, or roasted vegetables.
This low-calorie version of mashed potatoes replaces some of the potato with cauliflower, and milk or cream with a combination buttermilk, and low-fat milk. Butter can be replaced by olive oil.
Balsamic vinegar is useful in low-fat cooking because it adds a lot of flavor, without a lot of acidity – the net result is a sweet-and-sour taste. Whisked with the meat juices here, it makes an instant, non-fat sauce; the beef juices balance the acidity of the vinegar.