Midwest Pepper Steak

Any day of the week, your family will love this meal. When made in the Midwest, it becomes the ultimate comfort food—served over mashed potatoes and updated with a spicy and sweet gravy, it’s Pepper Steak!

With a generous serving of gravy, vegetables, and mashed potatoes, a satisfying plate of steak is presented. As I enjoy this meal, I envision hardworking farmers from Minnesota making their way indoors after a long day in the fields, their silhouettes against the backdrop of the setting sun.

The recipe for Midwest Pepper Steak is based on my grandma’s always delicious and familiar recipe, translating a slightly exotic sensibility into something that exemplifies Midwestern cooking.

Recipe ingredients

Ingredient notes

The steak flank is a large, flat cut from the underside of the cow that should always be sliced against the grain and slightly chewy. It cooks quickly and is thin.

Step-by-step instructions

To prepare the stir-fry, keep aside the leftover sauce. Transfer it into a spacious plastic bag with a zipper or a glass bowl for marinating the meat, taking out ¼ cup of this sauce. Combine honey, brown sugar, red wine vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and black pepper according to your preference in a moderate-sized bowl (reduce the amount if you are not fond of black pepper; personally, I prefer 2 tablespoons).

Thinly cut the steak against the grain and take it out of the freezer. This will simplify the process of slicing the steak into thin pieces. Place the steak in the freezer for approximately 15 to 20 minutes, until the exterior is cold but the steak is not completely frozen.

Marinate the steak with the marinade in a large plastic bag or bowl at room temperature for at least 10 minutes or up to 1 hour.

Do the same with the leftover steak, incorporate an additional tablespoon of vegetable oil, and clean the skillet. Move it to a fresh bowl and proceed to cook for an additional minute, until it turns brown all around. Mix the meat and cook for a minute without mixing, until it browns on one side. Season half of the meat with ¼ tsp of salt, place it in the skillet in a single layer, and heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil until it shimmers over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Pat it dry using paper towels and take the steak out of the plastic bag, getting rid of the marinade.

Add onions and peppers to the skillet and stir-fry for about 3 to 5 minutes, until they are still bright and tender-crisp. Then, add the last tablespoon of vegetable oil and heat it until it shimmers. Once the meat has been cooked, set it aside and wipe the skillet clean.

Add the garlic and ginger to the skillet and combine with the vegetables, then incorporate them together. Create an empty area in the center of the vegetables. Simultaneously, stir the cornstarch into the saved stir-fry sauce.

Approximately 2 minutes later, pour the previously set aside stir-fry sauce into the skillet and cook on medium-high heat until the sauce comes to a boil and thickens a bit. Afterwards, return both the skillet and any juices that have gathered to the steak.

Take off the heat and pour over mashed potatoes.

Recipe tips and variations

Yield: This recipe produces 6 generous portions.

Storage: Keep remaining food covered in the fridge for a maximum of 4 days.

The peppers and onions can be sliced and stored separately in the refrigerator two days ahead. The marinade can be mixed one day ahead.

The mashed potatoes can be frozen for up to 2 months to thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat on the stove to 165 degrees (Steak Pepper Midwest: Freezer).

Recommended ways to serve the Midwest Pepper Steak include serving it over mashed potatoes, buttered noodles, or cooked rice.