OVEN SWISS STEAK

Well, this dish has received 5 Stars at my house!  My daughter declared this as her  new favorite dish and I think I am in agreement!

I was looking through an old magazine called "The Best of America's Test Kitchen" and found this recipe.  I used to make Oven Swiss Steak but I haven't made it in years....because I can't find my recipe! Ugh!  But I am glad now that I couldn't find it because this one is better!!  It literally cuts with a fork...no need for a knife.  It has a deep, rich flavor and it is perfect served over mashed potatoes.

The recipe called for a Top Blade Steak but I couldn't find it at either of my local grocery stores so I decided I would experiment with 2 different cuts of meat.  The first was  Boneless Heavy Beef Chuck Tender Steaks and the second was Thin Sliced Sirloin Steaks sliced in half.  I forgot to look at how much they weighed so I ended up with about 3 pounds of steak or 12 small pieces of steak.  This recipe calls for 3-1/2 - 4 lbs of meat so, I could have added 2 more steaks cut in half for a total of 16 pieces of meat.  I would say this recipe serves 6 to 8 people easily.  Oh...and I would use only the Sirloin Steaks next time.  They cooked up perfectly and had very little fat.

I decided to keep it simple tonight so I just made mashed potatoes and sauteed kale (I will blog that tomorrow...super easy).  It was just right.  I would have loved to have rolls, garlic toast, or some kind of bread but I am trying to limit my gluten right now sooooo no bread....Booooo!!  I love bread!!

I was so tempted to change up this recipe because that's just what I do but I decided, no matter what, I was going to follow the recipe perfectly.  I did mess up and I added the sun dried tomatoes too early but it didn't seem to make a difference.  Try it and let me know what you think!

OVEN SWISS STEAK

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees

1  (3-1/2 TO 4 pound) Boneless Top Blade Roast OR Thin Sliced Sirloin Steaks
     Garlic Salt and Pepper
2 tablespoons Canola Oil
1 large Onion, halved and sliced thin
2 tablespoons Tomato Paste
1 tablespoon unbleached All-Purpose Flour
4 Garlic Cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried Thyme
1 (14.5 ounce) can Diced Tomatoes
1-1/2 cups Chicken Broth (I use Campbells)
1 tablespoon Sun Dried Tomatoes, packed in oil, minced
1 tablespoon Fresh Parsley, finely chopped

Pat steaks dry with a paper towel and season with garlic salt and pepper.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Brown steaks in groups, making sure not to crowd the steaks, about 3 minutes per side (my stove took a little longer). 

Transfer the steaks to a plate and repeat with the remaining steaks and oil.

Add the onion to the empty pot and cook them until softened, about 5 minutes.  You may need to add a little oil if there is not enough to saute the onions.

Add the tomato paste, flour, garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Stir in the diced tomatoes and the broth and bring to a boil.

Return the steaks and any accumulated juice to the pot.  

Transfer the pot to the oven and braise, covered, until the steaks are fork-tender, about 1 hour at 350 degrees, decrease heat to 325 degrees for 30 minutes and then decrease heat to 300 degrees for the last 30 minutes.

Transfer steaks to a plate and tent with foil.  Let rest for 5 minutes.  Skim fat from the sauce. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper.  Pour the sauce over the steaks and sprinkle with parsley.

Serve over or with mashed potatoes.

ENJOY!

CLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE RECIPE