Quote:
Originally Posted by scho63
Tonight's Dinner results: 
- Flank steak marinated in oil olive and garlic, first seared on stove and finished in oven at 400 degrees for 16 minutes
- Brussel sprouts cooked in oven at same 400 degrees then finished with pancetta, maple syrup, and balsamic glaze in a pan on stove
- Fingerling potatoes steamed first in bag in microwave for 8 minutes then crisped up in oven at 475 degrees with olive oil, oregano and parmesan reggiano cheese.
My grades:
Flank steak B - : I cooked it just a few minutes too long even though it was super tender and also the marinade was on too long giving a little bit of an acidic flavor.
Brussel Sprouts A + : I knocked these out of the park! They were cooked prefectly and the sauce came out the best I've ever achieved with pancetta still soft but firm
Fingerling Potatoes A : hard to screw these up if you use enough seasoning and adding olive oil for moisture so they don't dry out in oven. The oregano and parmesan reggiano cheese added a nice flavor profile. |
Anything else in the marinade? Not sure how oil and garlic could give any kind of an acidic flavor unless there was some kind of acid present - lemon juice, vinegar, etc. If oil and garlic was all you had, I'd bet the garlic got burnt, which can definitely be bitter. You can counteract that next time by using the fresh garlic as a flavor only and be sure to scrape any leftover bits off the steak before cooking. That length of time on a flank steak sounds way too long.
I'm not a Brussels sprouts fan, but sounds like you nailed those. And I love potatoes the way you describe. Next time, try it with fresh thyme or rosemary (or both) instead of oregano.