Stuffed Flank Steak

I'm a sucker for a good flank steak. Marinated and grilled, slow roasted in the oven...or my favorite, stuffed and seared and then roasted in the oven. This version was based on what I had in the pantry and fridge...Swiss chard, feta, onions, garlic, and pearled barley. But you could use spinach, kale, farro, rice, Parmesan, mushrooms...the options are only limited by your taste buds! While the process takes a bit of time to prepare all of the stuffing ingredients, it's quite easy to put it all together.

Stuffed Flank Steak
Ingredients:
1 3-4 lb. flank steak
1 large head of Swiss chard, stemmed and ribbed and cut into pieces
1/2 half large onion, sliced
8 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly
1/3 cup feta cheese
1/3 - 1/2 cup pearled barley (cooked)
Olive oil
Pomegranate vinegar (or any kind you like)
1 egg
Garlic powder
Salt and pepper
Kitchen twine

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Unroll your flank steak and let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes or so. Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt and pepper.

2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add about 1 tbs of olive oil. When it's smoking, add the onions and the garlic. Stir continually so the garlic doesn't burn. Cook until the onions are translucent. Add the Swiss chard and stir until the chard begins to wilt. Turn the heat down to medium and let cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add about a tbs. of vinegar (I used Trader Joe's pomegranate vinegar because it's yummy!) and stir. Cook for one more minute. Add the barley and stir until warmed through. Remove from the heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. In a mixing bowl, add the onion, chard, garlic and barley mixture to one egg and the feta cheese. Mix to combine. Spread the mixture onto the flank steak, leaving about a 1" margin all the way around. Roll up the flank steak, away from you. Some of the filling may leak out. Stuff it back in as well as you can. Take some kitchen twine and tie the flank steak in three places so it holds together.

4. Meanwhile, put your large oven-proof skillet back on medium-high heat. Add a little more olive oil. Sear the flank steak on all sides. When all sides have been seared, put the pan into the oven. Cook until the flank steak is around 150 degrees internally (or about a medium). If you like it a little on the rare side, remove at 145 degrees. For me, this was about 40 minutes at 350. It will depend on your steak. I recommend using a thermometer to test your meat's doneness. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Cut into rounds and serve.