Steak with Parmesan Spinach

This dinner was a team effort. I've never been comfortable cooking steak. Probably because past efforts have resulted in overcooked steak, and therefore I'm loathe to "practice." Steak isn't exactly cheap (is anything these days?), and I'm scared to potentially waste it. So, Dave cooked the steak while I prepared the spinach. 

I bookmarked the original recipe when I read it in Food Network Magazine, because I know Dave loooooooves creamed spinach. I loved that this version was slightly healthier. As written below, made with low fat 1% milk, the Parmesan spinach has 143 calories and 8.4 grams of fat. Typical creamed spinach dishes contain 220 calories and nearly 18 grams of fat!

The addition of Parmesan helps thicken the sauce, and with the nutmeg, adds a subtle nutty flavor to the dish. Flank steak is on the lean side, so be careful not to overcook it. After resting, slice it against the grain to retain maximum juice. Butter is better than olive oil in this case, because you want your skillet screaming hot to get a good, quick sear, and olive oil's smoke point is too low. If you absolutely want to use oil instead of butter, opt for grapeseed or safflower oil. 

Steak with Parmesan Spinach
Adapted from FoodNetwork.com

Ingredients

• 1 ½ lbs flank steak
• Kosher salt and pepper to taste
• 2 ½ tablespoon butter, divided
• ½ onion, finely diced
• 1 ½ tablespoon flour
• 1 ½ cups milk
• 2 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• ½ cup Parmesan cheese
• ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Season steak to taste with salt and pepper. Line a baking sheet with tinfoil. 
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter over high heat, and sear steak on both sides, about 30 seconds to a minute on each side. Transfer steak to baking sheet and place in oven to finish, reserving juices in skillet. Cook for five minutes for rare doneness. Remove from oven and let rest for ten minutes. Pour juices from skillet over steak. 
3. While steak is cooking, heat butter in saucepan over medium heat. Sauté onions until soft, about 5 minutes. 
4. Whisk in flour, and cook for a minute, stirring constantly. Remove saucepan from heat and whisk in milk, then return to heat and cook another two minutes, until mixture thickens. 
5. Stir in spinach, Parmesan and nutmeg. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens and spinach is heated through, about ten minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 
6. Thinly slice the steak and serve with spinach.