Steak Sandwich

Although the recipe indicates the rosemary is optional, I’d say using the herb is not to be missed. I loved the finished character it added to the steak sandwich. I didn’t bother removing the needles before searing the meat. Deep brown and thickly lacquered with a sweet-sour gastrique, the caramelized onions were center stage here.

I only used about 1 tablespoon olive oil to get the onions sautéing in a cast-iron skillet. Since I only have 1 cast-iron skillet, I waited for the onions to be done in order to repurpose the pan for the steak. Pounded out to 3/4 inch thickness, my steak took 4 minutes on each side for medium-rare. After resting the steak, I sliced it against the grain and conservatively loaded up the bread. I didn’t want the steak piled so densely it would be difficult to bite through, a failing of many steak sandwiches. Layering at maximum 2 slices high seemed to work well for me.

I loved the lemony watercress and mustard, which played so well with the rich meat. I don’t see any reason why you couldn’t make the onions on a Sunday and keep them to make this steak sandwich for a weeknight meal later in the week.

What an enjoyable sandwich! I had been craving an old-fashioned Philly cheesesteak, and although this is nowhere near that old standard, it might just be what I turn to when the urge for one hits. Actually, this will probably be made more often. It seems healthier, and the ingredients are much easier to find.

I did pound my flank steak with a sprig of rosemary over it as well as underneath it. I can’t say that I noticed any flavor imparted to the meat. After cooking the onions, covered, for 35 minutes, there was still a lot of liquid in the pan. I needed to cook it with the cover off for 15 minutes in order to get the onions browned and caramelized on the bottom. When I make this again, I will partially cover the pan, and see if that makes a difference.

I cooked the flank steak on a cast-iron grill pan for 2 minutes on each side, and the meat was perfectly medium-rare. I dipped one side of the ciabatta bread in the juices left from cutting the meat, and spread mustard on the other half of the bread. The caramelized onions added great flavor to the sandwich. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find watercress at the stores that I went to. I tried arugula as a substitute but we preferred the sandwich without it. When I’m able to find watercress, I’ll make this sandwich again, to see what it adds to the sandwich. I must say, however, that it quite delicious without it.

So, first let me say that THIS WAS AN AMAZING STEAK SANDWICH. It was really yummy and delicious. #SoGoodIWantedAnother. Okay, so now that’s out of the way, I can tell you the details. I mistakenly thought that this was going to be another regular run-of-the-mill steak sandwich, but what makes it different are the onions, specifically the vinegar-infused, caramelized onions. So good! I thought that the sugar would overpower the vinegar, but they played really nicely together.

The other thing I liked was the spicy kick of the mustard. I didn’t have Colman’s, but in looking it up, I found that it’s a mustard with a spicy kick, so I used a Dijon mustard that I love that has a really good helping of horseradish—definitely more kick than regular mustard. Finally, the hit of lemon on the watercress added such a nice brightness to the very rich sandwich. I used skirt steak for my glorious steak sandwich. The cooking time of 3 minutes was spot on. Loved the suggestion of drizzling the steaks resting juices on the warm bread. Yum! This is definitely the sandwich that you should make with any leftover steak.