Stuffed Flank Steak

As a foodie I love eating out that's a given but I can only go for a few days before I'm itching to do a bit of cooking.  Some vacations do not allow me to do this so one priority when we were deciding to buy a vacation home was to have a nicely supplied kitchen where I could cook if I wanted to.  At the same time both of us really like enjoying that morning coffee but there are times that I really don't feel like getting dressed to go out for a hot breakfast.  So we were really looking for a vacation home where we could make simple breakfasts and lunches with a few dinners because let's face it food is one of the most expensive components of any vacation.

We discovered a Publix and an Aldi's for grocery shopping.  The Publix is more like our Sobey's here offering the extras that Aldi's doesn't offer.  Aldi's is similar to our No Frills.  I quickly realized even with our RV that cooking when on vacation takes on a whole new meaning.  We are looking for something different.  It's where unlike at home where I will make something entirely from scratch I do buy from the deli, freezer section, I will use ingredients like baby carrots and I will buy smaller container sizes to use up before we leave but other than that I don't deviate much from cooking from scratch. 

I spotted stuffed flank steaks in the deli section.  I've seen these in the flyers here where they are called a roulade and had been intending to try making one.  The concept is not difficult and one I've worked with several time.  Essentially the steak is trimmed, flattened slightly the topped with filling of choice and rolled the cut into medallions for cooking.  The fact the roulades were already made was rather appealing given we were on vacation but I had nothing to bake them in.  No worries as they each came with their own little baking pans and detailed instructions from the friendly deli person.  He said to just add whatever vegetables we wanted then bake along with the steak.  I was sold.  The entire dinner eaten at home would come in at under $15 and we could just relax around the house enjoying our new purchase.

We bought one flank steak stuffed with mozzarella cheese (right) and one stuffed with provolone cheese (left).  I put in baked potatoes about 10 minutes before the steak.  I added in baby bello mushrooms, red onion and baby carrots  to each baking dish stuffing in as much as possible.  Then I put the pans in the oven at 350ºF (180ºC) and baked until the vegetables were tender.

I have to tell you I was really leary on this just because I thought the vegetables would be overcooked and the meat undercooked.  Undercooked beef I can handle as we like most beef cuts rare  but overcooked vegetables are just plain nasty!  I was really concerned over how the carrots and mushrooms would come out.

First off the dishes we bought for the vacation house are white which plays with the camera lens.  We may add our favourite burgundy or blue yet but for now white keeps thinks light and bright.  The entire meal took about 50 minutes to cook.  We were both impressed with the results!  Pictured is the plated cooked meal.  The meal tasted every bit as good as it looks.  The stuffed flank steak had a lovely flavour that accented the vegetables cooked in the juices.  Of course I topped my baked potato with sour cream while my husband used butter and salt.  What a great, low cost dinner to enjoy while on vacation!