Cheesesteak Sandwiches

Cheesesteak Sandwiches

I'm not sure what makes an 'authentic' Philly Cheesesteak sandwich, but I've read about Cheez Whiz (gross) and optional veggies. Philadelphians certainly have strong opinions about it and I'll be the first to admit that I've never been to Philadelphia, but I know good food. So, this is my version of the Philly Cheesesteak. It's easy to make and has delicious steak, veggies and gooey cheese. 

What You'll Need:

• Buns- I use brioche hot dog buns that are split down the top
• Butter 
• Steak - I use a ribeye steak
• Red Pepper (I like them better than green peppers. Your choice)
• Mushrooms, sliced, about 2 cups
• 2 large Onions, white or yellow but not sweet yellow
• Garlic, 5-8 cloves, minced
• Avocado Oil or other oil that has a high smoke point (Canola works, too)
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Sliced Provolone Cheese
• Salt and Pepper

What You'll Do: 

Before you start, place your steak in the freezer for 30-45 minutes. This will make it much easier to slice the meat thinly. 

Slice the onions, red pepper, mushrooms and mince the garlic. Slice the steak very thinly. Have everything ready to go and then heat up your skillet on medium. I used my Le Creuset Traditional Skillet, which is not only beautiful, but it works really well to brown the food because of the black interior. This skillet is a discontinued color called 'Dune', which is reportedly a favorite of Chef Ina Garten. The Le Creuset skillets are surprisingly affordable for a luxury brand. Check out the outlets and stalk the sales and you can nab one for about $100. Not bad for something that will last a lifetime.

Toasty buns

Lightly butter the sides of the buns and heat the skillet to medium. When it's hot, lightly toast the buns on each buttered side. Set the buns aside on a plate.

Add a couple of tablespoons of oil and let that heat up and then add the sliced onions. Cook and stir the onions until they start to brown. If they are browning too quickly, you may have to reduce the heat to low. Let those cook down and get brown. This may take 15 -20 minutes. 

Starting to brown

When the onions start to get evenly brown, add the red pepper slices and continue cooking and stirring. Cook until the peppers are brown around the edges and fully cooked. Scrape a little well in the middle of the skillet and add a touch of oil, then place the minced garlic in that oil and sauté until the garlic is browned. That only takes about a minute, so be sure that your onions and peppers are done before adding the garlic. Put all of the contents of the skillet into a large bowl and set aside. 

Cooking the garlic in the middle

Shrooms!

Place the sliced mushrooms in the skillet and add a few sloshes of Worcestershire sauce. Cook until the mushrooms have released their moisture and are cooked through and brown. Remove the mushrooms to the bowl with the other veggies.

Season the sliced beef with salt and pepper while a little more oil heats up in the skillet. Cook the beef in the oil until brown, but you can leave some pink if you like a little medium rare steak. 

When the steak is done to your liking, add all of the veggies back into the pan to reheat and then place all of this goodness onto the toasted buns. Top with Provolone cheese slices and melt the cheese with a kitchen torch or pop the sandwiches under your oven broiler for a minute. 

Doesn't that look delicious?!

Serve with chips and/or some cole slaw and enjoy!