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We are going be hosting dinner on Christmas Eve, and the main course will be a beef roast recipe that we took from Gourmet Magazine. Herb Filet of Beef with Tomato Confit. (recipe will follow.) We wanted to try it on ourselves before we served it as a main course on Christmas Eve. The rest of this article has the results.

HERB CRUSTED FLAT IRON STEAK

Ingredients

For beef

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
• 1/4 cup finely chopped shallot
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped thyme
• 1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons ground pepper
• 2 1/2 to 3 pounds flat iron steak

Preparation

1. Do ahead: Mix garlic, shallot, herbs, salt, and ground pepper in a small bowl, and then rub all over the steak. Place meat in a large ziplock bag and marinate in the refrigerator for a day.

   Let the meat stand at room temperature 1 hour before roasting.

2. Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.
3. Place beef in a 17- by 11-inch shallow heavy baking pan and roast in the oven until the meat thermometer registers 120°F when inserted into the center of the thickest part of the meat; about 30 to 45 minutes.
4. Remove from the oven and transfer meat onto a cutting board, cover with aluminum foil and let it stand for 10 to 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

Here is a visual interpretation of the preparation and the results:

The original recipe says how it is supposed to be how to be prepared. But we had a few differences between the test run and the recipe. Our first snag with the recipe when we cooked is for testing was the current market rate of the type of beef preferred was about $15/lb and was packaged to be about 2-3 pounds minimum. We’re trying to do this on a budget and 2-3 lbs on a trial run is not needed. Further down the line at the Fry’s butcher market was a relatively thin cut of beef called Flat Iron Steak. It was about 2 lbs and was on special for $8. It looked incredibly lean and would fit the testing perfectly, in my opinion. Another snag we had: We had no rosemary, thyme, or shallots.

What we used (for testing) instead was cilantro, yellow onions, and a spice from our rack called “Savory.” We went through the motions of the recipe to see how it would turn out. We gave the meat a surgeon’s knot tying to start. We let it sit in the fridge covered in plastic wrap, since getting the 2-foot steak to fit in a zipper bag was not going to happen.

The next afternoon, the meat was removed from the fridge and allowed to return to room temperature. The oven was heated and I set the probe thermometer at an angle so I had it deep enough into the meat, but still in the middle.

About an hour and a digital reading of 140°F (I’m not a big fan of medium-rare), the beef was tented. It was cut as directed. It was beautiful. Even when my thermometer read 140 when it was pulled from the oven, the cut had at least 3 levels of flavor: some medium-rare, medium, and medium-well. We devoured this cut!

The best part, though. It has an amazing reheating value. By reheating value, I mean when you reheat your leftovers, how does the taste keep like it was prepared that day. We declared this a massive success, even without the confit. We cannot wait to serve this dish on Christmas Eve for our guests.

(Update: This post was intended to be released on 12-19, but was never completed. The meat we prepared was a standing rib roast. Our guests have already replied to this meat dish and the other dishes we made on Christmas Eve were incredible. We even made the confit as well. It turned out rich! This dish is a must-have on your entertaining list if you are going to serve beef. Happy eatings!)