“The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook.”  -  Julia Child

At a typical restaurant, a single serving provides enough for two meals. Add to that the fact that steaks are one of the most ordered entrées in restaurants today, and that’s one heck of a lot of doggie bags - and a lot of leftover steak.

There are a lot of ways to enjoy your leftovers: add it to eggs, serve it over mashed potatoes or toss it into a steaming pot of soup. But why not turn it into an amazing appetizer or an exotic thai dish? Here are five ideas that will have you saving room for dessert.

Steak and Horseradish Crostini:
Slice a small baguette and place on a baking sheet. Melt ¼ cup butter with a finely minced garlic clove and drizzle over bread. Bake at 250F for about an hour, turning every 15 minutes.

Slice leftover steak against the grain into paper-thin slices. Allow steak slices to come to room temperature.

Combine ½ cup of sour cream or crème fraiche with 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish and a dash of hot sauce.

Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

Place a slice or two of steak onto a crostini, then top with a teaspoon or so of horseradish cream. Garnish with chopped chives.

Steak Hash:
Saute a small chopped onion and a small chopped red bell pepper in a tablespoon of oil until tender. Add a minced garlic clove and sauté for another minute or so. 

Add three medium potatoes, cooked and diced, along with one cup diced leftover steak. Continue cooking until potatoes and meat are heated through. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, then place on serving plates and top with your favorite shredded cheese and poached eggs.

Thai Beef Salad:
In a large bowl, mix together ½ cup fresh lime juice, ½ lemongrass stalk (chopped), ½ cup each of chopped fresh cilantro and mint, a chopped green onion, 2 T. fish sauce, 2 t. sweet chili sauce and ¼ cup of sugar.

Slice leftover steak against the grain into thin slices and add to the dressing mixture. Refrigerate for at least two hours and up to one day.

About an hour before serving, remove steak mixture from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature.

Tear half of one head of lettuce into bite-sized pieces and place in a serving bowl. Add steak mixture, top with diced cucumber and cherry tomatoes.

Steak and Cheddar Quesadillas:
Slice leftover steak against the grain into thin strips. Saute in a teaspoon of oil with a small amount of taco seasoning (depending on how much leftover steak you have) until just heated through. Place steak slices on one half of a large tortilla, then top with shredded cheddar cheese, sliced tomato, diced jalapeno and sprinkle of red onion.

Fold empty side of tortilla over the other, and grill in a hot pan with a teaspoon of oil until golden brown. Flip and brown other side, then remove from pan and slice into four large pieces. Top with fresh avocado and garnish with chopped cilantro.

The Steak Sandwich:

And finally, my personal favorite...

Slice leftover steak against the grain into thin strips. Allow steak to come to room temperature.

Make the horseradish cream. Mix together ½ cup of sour cream with 2 tablespoons of prepared horseradish. Adjust the amounts to suit your tastes and according to the strength of the horseradish, which can vary greatly between brands.

Meanwhile, make the caramelized onions. To do this, slice a large sweet onion into rings. Heat a skillet over moderate heat; add a tablespoon of oil. Add onion rings and a pinch of salt; saute slowly until golden brown and caramelized, about 45 minutes or so. Don’t turn up the heat! In fact, if your onions are browning too quickly, turn the heat to medium-low. I like to add a couple teaspoons of brown sugar at the start of cooking; it helps the onions to caramelize and makes them a bit sweeter.  You can also try adding a healthy dose of your favorite hot sauce toward the end for an extra spicy treat!

If you’re a mushroom lover, slice some mushrooms and saute over high heat in a small amount of oil (yes, high heat so they get nice and brown…that’s where all the best flavor is).

Now make the garlic bread…that’s right, garlic bread. First, add a minced garlic clove (or two) to ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil; let sit at room temp for at least thirty minutes. Next, take a couple of ciabatta rolls – don’t substitute here, trust me – and brush on your olive oil onto the cut parts of the rolls. Place rolls cut side up on a baking sheet and broil until golden brown.

Top roll bottoms with sliced steak, sautéed mushrooms, caramelized onions and a slice of jack or provolone cheese. Place back under broiler until cheese is melted. Spread horseradish cream onto cut side of roll top and place on top of sandwich. Now enjoy your leftover steak like never before!

Tips:
-If you slice your steak while it’s still cold, it will be much easier to get paper-thin slices.
-Never reheat your leftover steak in the microwave! All of the recipes above will taste fabulous with room-temperature steak (or quickly sautéed).

Kristy Bernardo is a personal chef and successful food blogger of The Wicked Noodle. She's won several local and national cooking contests and is in the process of writing her first cookbook. She lives in Northern Virginia with her husband and two young daughters.