The Wife of a Dairyman ~ Flank Steak Pinwheels

I know it's mid-winter and almost too cold to use the outdoor grill, but somehow barbequing helps to give me the much needed feeling of warm summer.....a girl could dream, right?

These festive wheels of steak, Boursin cheese, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes look fancy, but they're quite easy to make. For a party, arrange them on a platter atop a bed of spinach.

Instead of using the cheese spread and the sundried tomatoes, I used feta cheese and red roasted peppers.....so good!




Photo from Eating Well

Flank Steak Pinwheels

• 2/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, (not packed in oil)
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 pound flank steak, trimmed of fat
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons light herbed cheese spread, such as Boursin (see Variation)
• 1 cup baby spinach
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preparation
1. Preheat grill to high.
2. Place sun-dried tomatoes in a bowl; pour boiling water over them and let steep until softened, about 10 minutes. Drain and chop.
3. Meanwhile, place steak between 2 large pieces of plastic wrap. Pound each side of the steak thoroughly with the pointed side of a meat mallet until the steak is an even 1/4-inch thickness.
4. Rub garlic all over one side of the steak. Spread cheese lengthwise in a 3-inch-wide strip down the middle of the steak. Top with the sun-dried tomatoes and spinach. Starting at one edge of a long side, roll the steak up tightly, tucking in the filling as you go.
5. Carefully rub salt and pepper all over the outside of the steak roll. Turn the roll so the overlapping edge is on top. Push 8 skewers, evenly spaced, through the roll, close to the overlapping edge to hold the roll together. Slice the roll into 8 equal portions, roughly 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick, with a skewer in each. Lay the slices on their sides and push the skewer through so it sticks out about 1 inch.
6. Oil the grill rack (see Tip). Grill the pinwheels 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Use a spatula when turning them to prevent too much filling from falling out. (Don't worry if the ends of the skewers burn. They will still hold the pinwheels together.) Remove the skewers; let the pinwheels rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Prepare the steak roll (Steps 2-4). Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 6 hours. When ready to grill, proceed with Steps 5 and 6.
• Blue cheese variation: Substitute 1/2 cup chopped roasted red peppers or 1/2 cup chopped artichoke hearts for the sun-dried tomatoes (skip Step 2). Mash 1/2 cup blue cheese with 2 tablespoons milk until smooth and substitute for the Boursin in Step 4.

Nutrition
Per serving: 226 calories; 9 g fat (4 g sat, 3 g mono); 46 mg cholesterol; 7 g carbohydrates; 27 g protein; 2 g fiber; 332 mg sodium; 278 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Zinc (27% daily value), Iron (15% dv).

1 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 1 vegetable, 3 1/2 lean meat