A Steak and Cheese Sandwich

Not sure what draws me to a steak and cheese. Maybe it’s the steak layered with peppers, mushrooms, and tossed in cheese? Whatever I like about it, if I see steak and cheese on a menu at a restaurant, I will order it – unless it’s a Mexican restaurant, then all of my chips go towards the fajitas. My two favorite places for a great steak and cheese are The District (East 94th St.) and Gaetano’s Tavern on Main (Wallingford, CT) – they are both served with sweet potatoes/sweet potato fries. Now that I think about it, I would add The Newes From America (Edgartown, MA) to the list too! I think I had at least three from this place on our honeymoon.

These three places have something in common with their sandwiches, they use great bread. However, if one out of the three restaurants had to take the top spot, I’d have to give it to Tavern on Main. What I love about Tavern’s steak and cheese sandwich is the soft, soggy-ish (in a good way) roll, or as I would call it, a sub. So how do you get a sub to be like this?

Over Mother’s Day weekend, my sister and I went out for dinner at Tavern. Sitting there, eating the steak and cheese, I couldn’t help but think how they got the bread so soft and ‘infused’ with the juices of the sandwich. Pondering, I asked our waitress, who went back into the kitchen, asked the chef, and came back with an answer: aluminum foil and an oven.

This past weekend, I wanted to make the ultimate steak and cheese using my favorite parts from each restaurant. I was so determined to make this, I completely forgot to make a side. A sweet potato-something would have been great with these!

[recipe title=”Steak and Cheese for Two” servings=”2″ time=”30mins” difficulty=”easy” image=”https://liliesandloafers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/IMG_6888.jpg”] [recipe-ingredients]

• 1/2 green pepper, cut into strips
• 1/2 sweet onion, cut into thick strips
• 4 crimini mushrooms, sliced
• 2 tbsp butter, divided
• 3/4lb rib eye steak, sliced thin and chopped, seasoned with salt and pepper
• 4 slices provolone cheese
• 2 sub rolls (long roll, also referred to as a ‘grinder’ or ‘hoagie’)
• 2 pieces of aluminum foil

[/recipe-ingredients] [recipe-directions]

1. Heat 1 tbsp of butter on a skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add green peppers, sweet onion, and mushrooms to the skillet and cook for about 5 minutes or until the onions start to turn translucent and the mushrooms are cooked down.
3. Remove the veggies from the skillet to a plate.
4. Add remaining butter to the skillet and turn down the heat to medium.
5. Move steak to the skillet and cook until done – about 3-5 minutes.
6. Add veggies back to the skillet, mix them around, and split the filling into two different sides (one for each sub). Place 2 slices of cheese across each filling, and cover your skillet for about 1-2 minutes to melt the cheese.
7. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.
8. Once the cheese melts, move each filling to a sub.
9. Tightly roll the sub up into a piece of aluminum foil.
10. Move the subs to the oven for about 15-20 minutes.
11. Remove from the oven and let sit for a few minutes before opening up the aluminum foil.
12. Open them up and chow down!

[/recipe-directions] [/recipe]

Fatima has a great steak and cheese, too!