Hanger Steak with Roast Vegetables and Romesco Sauce

Tonight's dinner was a slam dunk.  I loved it.  There might not be words enough to describe how much I enjoyed it.  And I can't even think of a single thing I would change about it - which is absolutely unheard of.  I rarely hit this kind of high with steak.  I like steak.  I like it a lot.  But I have never been a steak and potatoes type of girl.  Generally I find seafood much more appealing and inspiring.  But that might be about to change.  I might now be a hanger steak type of girl.  I rarely buy hanger steak.  I'm not sure why that is, but I tend to stick to skirt steak over hanger steak.  I think that is generally because skirt steak is easier to find, and often cheaper than hanger steak.  Any decently well-stocked butcher will have skirt steak, but not all have hanger steak.  I have heard that is due to the fact that there is only one hanger steak per animal, but who knows.  Both hanger steak and skirt steak come from the cow's diaphragm, and both are incredibly flavorful, but not especially tender.  You have to cook them quickly over high heat, and cook them no more than medium-rare for maximum tenderness.  

The hanger steak had so much flavor that it didn't even need the romesco sauce, which I had originally intended to be served with both the vegetables and the steak.  However, the vinegary, spicy bite of the romesco did a wonderful job of cutting through the richness of the meat.  It also paired very well with the simple roast asparagus, red onion and cherry tomatoes.  I will admit that the roast red onion might not be for everyone - if you aren't an onion lover you are going to want to either substitute Vidalia onions or omit the onions entirely.  But since I love onions, yum.  Love it.

Recipes after the jump!

Hanger Steak with Roast Vegetables

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 bunch asparagus, woody ends trimmed

1 pint cherry tomatoes

1/2 medium red onion, cut into wedges

evoo

coarse kosher salt

black pepper

1 hanger steak (between 1 and 1 1/2 lbs.)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Toss asparagus, cherry tomatoes, and onion with 1 tbsp evoo, s&p.  Add vegetables to a 10-inch cast iron pan.  Roast until cherry tomatoes begin to pop and asparagus becomes tender, about 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a grill pan over medium-high heat.  Rinse steak and pat dry.  Drizzle steak on both sides with 1 tsp evoo, and crust liberally with s&p.  Cook steak until medium-rare, about 2 minutes per side (the cooking time will depend on the thickness of the steak).  Remove steak from grill pan and allow to rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute.  Slice steak against the grain.

Serve steak with roast vegetables and romesco sauce.

Romesco Sauce

INGREDIENTS:

1/3 cup whole blanched almonds, toasted
1 slice sandwich bread, crust discarded and bread torn into pieces
2 large garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 tsp dried hot red pepper flakes
2/3 cup fire-roasted red peppers, drained and coarsely chopped
2 tbsp red-wine vinegar
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
1/4 cup evoo

black pepper

Finely grind almonds, bread, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a mini food prep.  Add roasted peppers, vinegar, and salt.  Grind ingredients together in pulses.  Do not puree.  Stream in evoo until sauce begins to get nice and creamy, but still has a little texture to it.  Season with black pepper to taste.