Planked Burger Steak with Vegetables

PLANKED BURGER STEAK WITH VEGETABLES

6 SERVINGS

It doesn't look any prettier in the most exclusive restaurant. A planked dinner is spectacular, but kind to the food budget.

2 pounds ground chuck or sirloin tip

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon coarse black pepper

3 cups fluffy mashed potatoes

6 slices or wedges ripe red tomato

3/4 pound whole fresh snap beans, cooked

1 small head cauliflower, cooked

12 small white onions, cooked (or 6-12 canned ones)

6-12 carrots, cooked (12 if they're tiny)

Season meat with salt and pepper, place on a sheet of foil, and shape with your hands to look like a big T-bone steak-nice and thick. Brush surface with butter or oil, and broil until brown on one side. Meanwhile, border a steak plank with mashed potatoes forced through a pastry bag. Place steak in center, cooked side down. Brush melted butter or oil over both potatoes and steak. Broil 15 minutes, or until browned. Arrange tomato slices, hot beans, cauliflower, onions, and carrots around steak and inside of potato border. if you wish, sprinkle chopped parsley on cauliflower.

All vegetables for this assemblage should be well seasoned and hot. You may want to heat everything but the tomatoes together in the oven for a few minutes, right on the plank.

VARIATIONS

You may wish to substitute butter-crumbed tomato halves for the fresh tomato, and broil them with steak and potatoes.Asparagus, peas, beets, and broccoli are among other vegetable possibilities.

The steak mixture may be seasoned with so me minced onion, if you like. You might even work into the meat 1/2 cup of red wine. But don't make the mistake of seasoning the meat too highly. Remember, this is "steak." You can't improve upon good beef flavor.

Lily-gilding: Pour mushroom sauce over the steak. A can of sliced mushrooms in gravy would do if you don't want to start with fresh mushrooms.