I was sitting here eating some left over Honey Chicken when it occurred to me: I haven’t made you guys my Steak Rollitini yet. How could I have overlooked this Italian classic? It’s only one of my favorite dishes; one I’ve been doing for years. You may have seen it on various menus around town, but mine (‘cause I always make enough for seconds) is the best! I know Rollitini may sound a bit fancy, but don’t let the name fool you. Like everything else I serve you guys, this dish is as easy to prepare as it is delicious. And the best part is that it’s served with roasted potatoes (You know how much I love roasted potatoes, wink-wink.) Pull up a chair, and pour yourself a Merlot. It’s time to learn the secret of the Steak Rollitini.

Traditionally, the Rollitini is made with asparagus. You may not want to use asparagus if you’re on a date because of its affect on bodily fluids, but I say what the hell. This dish is made for asparagus. The way that delicious green, accented by the mellow smoke of some aged Mozzarella, stands up to the tender beef is absolutely remarkable. I use the word “remarkable” because you will say something (even if it’s to yourself) after every bite of this scrumptious treat (Lol, I swear that’s the first time I’ve ever used the word “scrumptious”… I right-clicked it.)

You want to start out with some thin Cuban steaks. For those of you who don’t know what those are, you: A- Can use top round; thinly sliced. B- Have obviously never been to Miami. C- Aren’t the last American guy in the 3-0-5. Anyway…

Lay those steaks out on a piece of plastic wrap (sorry, earth); season them with a little salt & pepper; cover them with another piece of plastic wrap (Ahem), and pound them out with a meat mallet. The pounding will not only beat the seasoning into the meat, it will also make the steaks tender and thin. Once you do that, you’re ready to roll, literally.

Take a stalk of asparagus, along with some strips of smoked “Mozzarel” and lay them down the middle of each steak. Don’t worry about seasoning the asparagus with salt & pepper because cheese is salty, and that should be enough to bring out the veggie’s flavor.

Roll up each steak and set it aside. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and throw your potatoes in a mixing bowl. I like to use the small, Fingerling potatoes because they don’t take very long to cook, and their creamy, almost sweet texture will hold the gravy well… Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the gravy. Don’t worry, we’ll get to that.

Give the potatoes a splash of olive oil, and a hit of salt & pepper. After a couple of good tosses, spread them out on a cooking sheet, and bake them for about 20 minutes. They may not even take that long so keep an eye on them. Pull’em out when they’re fork tender. Now let’s get back to the steak.

In a large sauté pan, bring some olive oil up to heat, and start searing off the steaks (Do I really need to explain what searing is? Get with it! Searing is a quick cook of the outer layer thus sealing in the juices.) Don’t use too much oil though; just enough to coat the bottom of the pan. When the pan is good and hot, throw in the steaks. Give them a minute on each side to ensure a good sear; then pop the whole pan in the oven, and finish them with the potatoes. It should only take about 5 minutes, so don’t go wandering off.

When the steaks are done, grab a pot holder and pull the pan out of the oven. Set it on the cook-top, and with a pair of tongs, put the steaks onto a plate. Cover that plate with some aluminum foil, and turn your attention back to the sauté pan. It’s time to make the gravy.

We’re going to make a simple pan-gravy that we can drizzle over the steak, and mop up with the potatoes. Pan gravy’s are one of the simplest ways to make an ordinary dish incredible. They work for every type of meat and fish.

The pan should already be hot enough, but put it on a medium heat just to be safe. To that pan you want to add: enough olive oil to cover the bottom, some diced onion, carrot, and celery. Give the mixture a toss with some salt & pepper, and let it come up to heat. After 2-3 minutes, deglaze the pan with a little red wine; doing this will loosen any of those yummy bits of steak that may have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Give the sauce a stir, and pull it off the heat. You’re almost ready to go.

Slice the Rollitini’s into 1 inch slices, and place them on a plate. Your potatoes should be done, by the way. Put a few of those on each plate, and drizzle some pan juice over the whole dish. Notice how the pan mixes with the oils from the smoked Mozzarella. I tell you, you’re going to thank me for this one, really.

With all of that melted “Mozzarel”, and delicious steak juices oozing out of the Rollitini, there’s a good chance that some of that lovely liquid will run into your roasted potatoes. When this happens, and it will, there is only one thing you can do: use the potatoes to mop that s**t up! Pardon my French, but that’s just the gravity of the gravy situation.

When your guests get a taste of those roasted potatoes mopped in that juice, they will look upon you as a Greek God. Your name will be scribed in history next to that of Shakespeare, and Van Gough. These friends of yours will become loyal minions; forever at your beckon call. That’s why you always make enough for seconds. If you’re lucky, there will be something left-over for lunch tomorrow. I doubt it.

• 2 steaks per person, and a couple of extra for seconds
• Some fresh asparagus
• 1 nice chunk of smoked mozzarella (they sell it at your local market; just ask the guy if you can’t find it.)
• Fingering potatoes usually come in a 1 pound bag. Get 1 bag per 3 people.
• Olive Oil
• ½ Cup chopped carrot
• ½ Cup chopped celery
• ½ Cup chopped onion
• ½ Glass of red wine
• 2 Pinches of freshly chopped parsley
• Some salt & pepper.