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 entrees 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 creme 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 saute 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.

And finally, my personal favorite…

Cheers!