Grilled Skirt Steak Sliders with Smoked Almond Romesco

Description:

The sandwiches may be scaled down in size, but certainly not in flavor. Enjoy five layers of satisfying tastes, including smoked almond butter, grilled steak, pungent blue cheese and voluptuous almond romesco. Created by Jennifer Wayland.

Ingredients:

• 1 (1-pound) skirt steak (or flank steak)
• Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup almond oil
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry
• 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar (such as Sugar in the Raw®)
• 1/2 shallot, diced
• Smoked Almond Romesco, recipe below
• Smoked Almond Butter, recipe below
• 1 egg white
• 1 teaspoon water
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted
• 18-21 mini brioche rolls (1 1/2 - 2 oz. each), or small dinner rolls
• 8-9 oz piece Maytag Blue Cheese (or other blue cheese), crumbled
• Smoked almond romesco
• 1 tablespoon chopped dried ancho chilies
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 (8-ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained
• 1 cup roasted tomatoes, drained
• 1/2 cup smoked almonds
• 2-inch piece day-old baguette
• 2 cloves garlic
• Zest of 2 limes
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dry sherry
• Salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
• Extra virgin olive oil, as needed
• Smoked almond butter
• 1 cup smoked almonds
• Almond oil, as needed

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350?F. Preheat indoor or outdoor grill.

Season both sides of steak with salt and pepper. Place the steak in a shallow nonreactive dish. Stir together almond oil, lime juice, sherry, sugar, and shallot together in a small bowl and pour over steak; cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes. While steak is marinating, prepare the Smoked Almond Romesco and the Roasted Almond Butter.

Place the mini brioche (or small rolls, if using) on a large baking sheet. Whisk together the egg white and water in a small bowl and brush on the tops. Sprinkle with sliced almonds, pressing to adhere; set aside.

Remove steak from marinade and discard the marinade. Grill over high heat for approximately 3-4 minutes a side for medium rare. Remove from heat and rest 3-5 minutes.

Place mini brioche in oven and bake for 2-3 minutes, or until warmed. To assemble sliders, slice brioche in half with serrated knife and spread approximately 1 teaspoon of almond butter on the bottom half of each brioche. Slice steak thin against the grain and arrange evenly on the bottom halves of the brioche. Top the steak with crumbled blue cheese and then approximately 2 teaspoons of Smoked Almond Romesco. Cover with brioche tops and serve 3 sliders on each plate.

Smoked almond romesco

Place chilies in a small bowl; cover with hot water and let stand 10 to 15 minutes or until softened. Drain. Combine all the ingredients in a blender and process on medium-high speed until a thick sauce forms. If the sauce is too thick, thin with extra virgin olive oil (the sauce should not be runny). Transfer to a small bowl.

Smoked almond butter

Place smoked almonds in blender and process on high speed until the almonds form a paste. If the butter is not smooth enough add almond oil until desired consistency is reached (butter should not be runny). Transfer to a small bowl.