Smothered Skirt Steak

Smothered Skirt Steak

Happy 4th of July!!

The 4th of July is my favorite holiday. The red, white and blue laden parades. Grills loaded with cheesy burgers, barbecue sauced chicken and smoky hotdogs. Overflowing tubs of icy cold beer and pitchers of lemonade. Sprinkle covered cookies and fudgily frosted brownies. And a finale in the night sky of exploding fireworks of every color of the rainbow.

Take this weekend's grilled steaks to the next level. Smothered Skirt Steak elevates grilled steak to a restaurant quality entree and will make you the star of this weekend's barbecues. Skirt steak grills up quickly and a topping of caramelized onions accented with mozzarella and fresh thyme will have your guests thinking they are dining at a 4 star restaurant.

Rave reviews came in for this dinner last night and this morning. My Middle One commented that she could just each the onions by themselves. And The Husband even remarked this morning that I "really stepped up" the usual grilled steak entree.

Here's to a food-filled and patriotic holiday weekend. Happy 4th of July to all!!!

Smothered Skirt Steak

Grilled skirt steak is topped with caramelized onions accented with mozzarella and fresh thyme. Any type of steak would benefit from this topping.

serves 4

2 large onions, about 6 cups sliced in 1/2 inch rings
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
3 garlic cloves, chopped
kosher salt and pepper
1/3 cup beef broth
1 cup packed mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
about 1 and 1/2 - 2 pounds of skirt steak

Heat a large saute pan to medium high and add olive oil and butter. As soon as the butter starts to sizzle, add the onions and toss to coat. Sprinkle with about 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Turn heat to medium, add the garlic and saute the onions, stirring occasionally, for 15 - 20 minutes or until soft and lightly browned. Add the beef stock and cook for an additional 3 - 4 minutes or until most of the liquid is evaporates. Stir in the cheese and thyme and season to taste with additional salt and pepper. Keep warm while the steaks grill.

Rub the steaks with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill steaks for about 3 minutes per side for medium rare. Remove from grill and let rest about 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with a generous helping of smothered onions.

Note -- This recipe is another one of mine that can be made ahead of time and reheated. Heat the onion topped steak in the microwave on 70% power for about 45 seconds for each serving. Add an additional 30 seconds of heating time until just heated through.