I love to a Gadget – Steak Slice

I’m a man and I love Gadgets, there should be a special group for us! It is an addiction,I’m sure of it.

I love music, so obviously had Walkman’s, Discman’s, Mini Disc players, iPods, the lot, so loving cooking that also means having gadgets for the kitchen!!

Everyone has a toaster, a sandwich maker, slow cooker, but then some of us have egg boilers, omelet makers, rice steamer, veg steamer, soup makers oh and the list goes on.

However, the star of the show I would like to introduce you too is a new one, called a Crimpit. What the **** is a Crimpit I hear you shout, well okay maybe you’re not shouting that, but you might wonder. Before I tell you that, I will talk about what it is used with.

In 2011, Warburtons brought to market a new product, a Sandwich Thin. It is smaller than a slice of bread, and it is the top and bottom of a sandwich, all you need is to choose the filling.

These were an instant hit for dieters, I mean one slice of bread on WW was 3 points, and a sandwich would be 6 before butter and filling. These Thins being a complete sandwich were only 3 for both parts. To start with they were used or their purpose of a sandwich, but it was not long before people started to come up with clever ways to work with them.

I for one remember turning up at a WW meeting and hearing about making them into a Sausage roll! Take your thin top or bottom part you only needed one, with a rolling pin, make it even flatter. Then take a low fat sausage, remove the skin, lay on one end of the thin, and then roll it up. Egg wash the last bit to stick it, then egg wash the top and bake it for 15 mins. There you have one sausage roll.

So where does the Crimpit come in? Well it is designed for the humble sandwich thin, which is now made by everyone from Warburtons to Aldi and every supermarket between. Imagine you want a cheese and ham toastie, but damn I don’t have a sandwich toaster, well all you need is a Crimpit. Open your thin, fill with ham and cheese, and put the lid on it. Pop it in the bottom of the Crimpit, line up the top and press it down. Hey presto, you have a sealed sandwich thin you pop in the toaster.

It’s no secret among the people that know me, my weakness is not chocolate and sweet stuff, I’m a savoury person. Pasties, Sandwiches, Crisps and a Ginsters Slices, so when I came across a recipe for a Steak Slice, using a thin, say no more I’m doing it, and that is why I finally got the Crimpit.

Take an onion and some mince, fry it up, add some beef stock and Worcester sauce, and leave it to simmer until the stock reduces. After about 20 minutes, add a little cornflour and water to thicken the sauce. Once that is done, then you need to get your thins out.

Divid up the mixture up between the 6 thins, pop the lids on and then drop it in the Crimpit and squish it together. Take it out, put it on the baking tray, and cover in egg wash, repeat for the others. Then bake them, 180 for 20 minutes, if you want crispy, I would go 25 minutes.

I think since I got the Crimpit, I have made three batches of these, I have learnt to remove the excess thin around the edge, use move egg wash than you would think and add 5 mins to give them a crunch.

Here comes the recipe bit, please leave a message, like or share it with your friends.

Sandwich Thin Steak Slice

Ingredients:

6 sliced soft white or brown sandwich thins
250g 5% beef mince
1 small onion, (finely chopped)
150 ml Beef stock
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
¼ tsp garlic granules
2 tsp cornflour
2 tsp water
1 medium egg, (beaten with a fork)

Steps:

1. Line a large baking tray with a sheet of non-stick baking paper.
2. Spray a small saucepan with low calorie cooking spray and place over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the beef steak mince and cook for 2-3 minutes until browned on all sides. Stir in the stock, Worcestershire sauce and the garlic granules.
3. Reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Place the cornflour and 2 tsp water in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Stir into the beef mixture and increase the heat to medium. Simmer, uncovered, for 4-5 minutes until the gravy has thickened. Taste and season with black pepper. We found there was no need to add salt. Set aside and allow to cool slightly.
4. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180ºC. Split the sandwich thins in half and lay out on a chopping board. Divide the beef mixture into 6 portions.
5. Place a portion of the slightly cooled beef mixture onto each of the 6 sandwich thin halves, leaving a 1cm gap around the edge.
6. Brush beaten egg around the edge and place one of the remaining sandwich thin halves on top of the filling. Press the centre of the lid down gently with a flat hand, then press around the edges to seal. Use a fork to crimp the edges and seal well. Repeat until you’ve made 6.
7. Place them on the lined baking tray and brush all over with the remaining egg. Place in the preheated oven and bake for about 10 minutes or until golden brown.
8. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. You can serve these hot or cold, but we prefer them served hot. Serve with Homemade Oven Chips or other accompaniment of your choice.