We do a weekly segment on Twin Cities Live called “Free For All Friday” where we live stream on Facebook and viewers can ask us questions in real time. A couple of weeks ago, a woman asked if there are any recipes demonstrated on the show that we take home and make in our own kitchens for our families. I immediately thought of this flank steak recipe. It’s incredibly simple but that’s it’s charm. A chef named Matt Quist made this for my former co-host John Hanson and I well over a decade ago and we both loved it.

So much so, that my husband Jay and I made it for a Valentine’s Day dinner at home in 2011 (check out these vintage photos, ha!) and we’ve been making it almost annually ever since. I thought it was high time to share this super simple and delicious way to prepare a flank steak both here and on Minnesota Live.

Here’s the recipe!

Seared Flank Steak

Gather this:

1 flank steak

4-5 sprigs of fresh thyme

1-2 sprigs fresh rosemary

4-5 cloves of garlic, smashed

sea salt & pepper

1/3 cup olive oil

1 tbsp beef tallow, bacon fat or duck fat for cooking the steak

Do this:

Put the flank steak in a gallon sized ziplock bag or a shallow baking dish. Place the herbs and garlic against the steak and drizzle in olive oil, turning to coat the steak completely. Put the steak in the fridge and marinate for 8-10 hours. Remove from the fridge about an hour before cooking.

Heat a large cast iron or carbon steel pan over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add your high smoke temp cooking fat of choice. Remove the steak from the marinade and brush off the herbs and garlic. Season both sides liberally with salt and pepper. Sear the steak — about 5 minutes on the first side and flip, cooking another 2-3 minutes on the second side until you’ve reached the desired temperature.

Remove the steak from the pan and tent with foil or another cover to rest for at least 5 minutes so the juices can redistribute into the meat. With a sharp knife, slice the steak thinly against the grain. Serve!

Additional notes:

• This steak is delicious served with my Duck Fat Potatoes and Soy Sauce & Garlic Green Beans
• My favorite carbon steel pans & the handmade cutting board with ridges to catch juices (use code ELIZRIES for a free gift with your online purchase)
• Amazing Japanese knives (use code ELIZRIES for 20% off)

As you can see – I’m not the only one who loves it: Intern Cole and Photographer Bill crushed the steak after we were done shooting and both declared it fantastic.

*this post contains affiliate links. thank you for supporting businesses I love!*