i know it's not a cheesesteak

So, I grew up in a part of New Jersey that is basically a suburb of Philadelphia. I'm well aware that this is not a cheesesteak. There is no Cheeze-wiz, Amoroso roll, or guys arguing about the racing forms while you eat it. This IS however, and OUTSTANDING simple steak sandwich...not to be missed. I'm sure you're looking at these photos thinking...seriously, it's steak with lettuce on a baguette. Just you wait...my pictures do it no justice.

In my opinion, there are two keys to this dish, the steak and the bread. The steak is beef tenderloin. It's about as good as it gets...and yes, about as expensive. You can easily substitute a flank or strip, but you should really try the tenderloin at least once. Not only is the cut of meat above par, but the way it's prepared is also a treat. The steak gets crusted in mustard, seared, and then finished in the oven. The mustard flavor really penetrates the meat, and creates a tender juicy finished product that is seriously delicious. For the bread, I got a fresh baguette, drizzled a little extra virgin olive oil on it and toasted it as I preheated the oven for the steak. After about 10 minutes, remove from the oven and rub with a clove of garlic. This will give it just enough kick to make the bread something special, but not be so over powering as to compete with the flavors in the sandwich. Here's how it all comes together...

Steak Sandwich

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp grainy mustard

2 tbsp Kosher salt

2 tbsp black pepper

3 tbsp olive oil

1 x 8-10 oz portion beef tenderloin, room temperature

2 onions, thinly sliced

1 sprig thyme

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp olive oil

1 cup salad greens, washed and dried

salt and pepper

1 french baguette

Directions

Preheat oven to 400. To prepare the beef tenderloin, smear on mustards and crust well with kosher salt and pepper on all sides.

Heat olive oil in a cast iron or heavy, oven safe pan over high heat. When oil begins to smoke, sear all sides until crust is dark golden.

Place pan in oven to finish cooking; about 10 minutes for medium rare. Remove from heat and let rest at least 15 minutes.

To prepare onions, heat 2 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp olive oil in medium pan over medium heat. Saute onions until softened and lightly coloured, about 5-7 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To assemble, carve steak into thin slices, reserving any juices.

To assemble sandwich, split baguette into 4 portions. Lightly toast and rub with a clove of garlic then spread thinly with mustard.

Fill each sandwich with steak and sautéed onions. Finish filling with greens and spoon over any steak juices. Serve with onion rings.

Onion Rings

3 cups buttermilk

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp oregano

1 tbsp salt

2 vidalia onions, cut into 1/2 inch rings

2 cups plus 1/4 cup flour

4 cups vegetable oil, for frying

Directions

Combine all ingredients for buttermilk marinade: buttermilk, garlic powder, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper. Soak onion slices for at least one hour, overnight is best.

Preheat oven to 250. Drain onions, reserving marinade. Place 2 cups of flour in a medium mixing bowl; slowly whisk in enough reserved marinade (about 2 cups) to form a loose paste the consistency of pancake batter.

Fill a small deep pot about 1 ½ to 2 inch deep with vegetable oil, making sure level of oil does not reach more than halfway up the pot. Bring oil up to 340-350 degrees.

Lightly flour onion rings in remaining ¼ cup flour. Dip into batter and drop, one or two at a time, into hot oil. Fry until deep golden brown and remove to drain on a paper towel-lined plate.

Season onion rings with salt while they are still warm. Keep onion rings warm in a low oven.

These rings rock as well. If you've never done any type of frying at home, I highly recommend the investment in a frying thermometer and giving it a shot. It opens up the range of possibilities in your menu planning, and allows you to control it's "healthiness". Now, I'm NOT SAYING fried food is healthy...it's fried food after all...but you can use vegetable oil, grapeseed oil, or peanut oil...all healthier than the LARD you'll find in most commercial fryers. Really, any oil with a high smoke point. As with all cooking at home, you can also control the seasoning ie salt. A great thing about this recipe are the herbs in the marinade. There is a ton of flavor there without needing to over salt once fried.

These rings fry up beautifully. Crunchy exterior, fluffy batter inside and perfectly cooked onions underneath it all. They also serve as the perfect compliment to the stellar steak sandwich above which together make the ultimate steakhouse sandwich at home.

Mangia e statti zitto...

cheers...

dunkin