June 11, 2009

No Grill? No Problem!

Every where I look these days, someone seems to be talking about grilling out. It's all over the blogs, magazines, even the tv. This would be fine and dandy, given it is summer and all, except for the fact that grilling is not so possible when you live in a high rise apartment complex. Not that this is reason enough to move out to the burbs or anything, but we all want what we don't have, and I would love nothing more than to throw some burgers on the grill on a hot Friday night. 

So what is a city dweller such as myself supposed to do (short of renting a house in the Hamptons with a huge yard and state of the art grilling station, that is)? Make this ridiculously good steak sandwich, of course! Yes, cooking a steak on the stove will probably fill your apartment with enough smoke to warrant a few red trucks, but it's totally worth it. The cooking method for the steak gives it that perfect crusty outside and medium-rare inside. And the onions and sauce and bread - oh, it's just so yummy! We paired it with a big bowl of berries and our all time favorite summer drink.

I want to send big hugs to Jamie at Life's A Feast, for honoring me with this award. She is as sweet as pie, and I'm so lucky to count her as one of my fabulous foodie friends. Thank-you so very much Jamie!

Also a big Happy Birthday to my baby brother (he might be 6'4, but he'll always be little to me), Cameron!! 

I also wanted to let ya'll know that I finally caved and joined Twitter, so please come play with me

Steak Sandwich
Adapted from Ina Garten

1 12-ounce 1-inch thick NY strip boneless beef top loin steak
salt and pepper
olive oil
1 large red onion
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
2 mini focaccia or ciabatta rolls
1/2 cup baby arugula
mustard mayo (recipe below)
  • Season steak liberally with S&P on both sides.
  • Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a medium saute pan over high heat, just until smoking.
  • Sear steak on both sides for 1 minute each.
  • Reduce heat to low and continue cooking 7-10 minutes, flipping only once halfway.
  • Set steak on a side plate and cover with aluminum foil for 10 minutes, then thinly slice.
  • Meanwhile, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil in same pan over medium heat.
  • Add onions and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until onions are caramelized.
  • For sandwich assembly: spread mustard mayo on bottom half of each bun, top with a layer of steak strips, sprinkling of S&P, onions, and arugula. Press down on top bun and serve.
Mustard Mayo:
3/4 cup mayo
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
2 tablespoons sour cream
1/8 teaspoon salt
  • Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl.

33 comments:

Anonymous said...

Delicious steak sandwich! The arugula and the caramelized onions with thyme here sound great!

Mary Bergfeld said...

This looks like a great steak sandwich. Caramelized onions make anything they appear with a standout.
I really like the way this sounds. Have a good day.

sugarlens said...

Fancy dinner! I love arugula on my sandwiches, too.

Melissa said...

Looks like I know what I am making for dinner tonight! So good seeing you yesterday! We should have a cooking date soon. xx

Foodie with Little Thyme! said...

Looks wonderful! Did I miss what the drink was? I'll go back and check.

Leslie said...

I love steak sandwiches! Looks yummy! My sister lives somewhere where she can have a "gas" grill on her patio..so she uses the George Forman electric stand up grill and loves it

Katrina said...

Must make do. While I like my steak more on the well done side, the sammie looks de-lish!

The Diva on a Diet said...

As a fellow New Yorker I want what I don't have too ... the back yard and grill. Sigh. But I do have my trusty grill pan and this is a fine way to use it! :)

Simones Kitchen said...

That certainly looks like a good grilled piece of meat to me! And well, let's face it; you can have all the gardens in the world, but if it is raining cats and dogs (as it is here right now) there is no such things as an outside grill either!!

PS. Just started following you on twitter!

Foodiewife said...

Ina Garten recipes are pretty fool-proof and delicious. This is no exception. I'm sorry that you don't have a patio to BBQ (like I do)-- then again, you have a Wolf range and I don't! Want to trade for a while? Yummy!

Creative Classroom Core said...

That picture is drool-worthy! I could really go for one of those right now!

grace said...

i, too, cry a little whenever i read about people grilling out. it's one of the MAJOR drawbacks to my living situation. this is a great alternative though--your sandwich would certainly help ease the pain. :)

Kerstin said...

I agree, it's so hard seeing all these great grilling recipes around the blogosphere (we're in an apartment in Boston)! Your steak sandwich makes up for it though because it looks amazing - I need to make it for my hubby!

La Cuisine d'Helene said...

This is such a nice sandwich. That caramelized onions is a great idea.

Donna-FFW said...

I love Ina Garten recipes, this sound slike a true winner. My FFH would love this. I do this type cooking in the winter when its too cold out to grill, Yeah, it gets smoky but as you said so so so worth it!! Looks fantastic!

♥peachkins♥ said...

this steak sandwich looks gorgeous!

Dewi said...

First, I want to wish you 6'4 baby brother, Cameron a very happy birthday!

Second, tweet ... I never done anything with it yet, since join in couple month back (trying to remember my password, hmm)

Third, gosh!
this is pretty luxurious sandwich I must say. Ina is a good source for delicious meal, isn't it?

Last, have a wonderful weekend ......

Maria said...

That is a real sandwich, no messing around here:)

Jackie @PhamFatale.com said...

oh this ciabatta sandwich looks diviniely delicious! I like my red meat exactly like this

Anonymous said...

YUMMY! i love the carmelized onions!

Lyndas recipe box said...

I would say this is the perfect sandwich....steak with thyme and caramelized onions is to die for!

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

Great looking steak sandwich and perfect for doing in the kitchen instead of on the grill. Don't you love how Ina mixes the two mustards together for a more complex flavor. Caramelized onions are always a welcome addition to any sandwich.

Happy birthday to your brother Cameron and congratulations on the award from Jamie. I faithfully read her great blog too.
Sam

Jennifer said...

YUm!!!! What a great dinner!!!! I love REAL meat sammys!!!

Stacey Snacks said...

Ash, Get a grill pan, I use it all winter long and it makes nice grill marks!

Kendall Boggs said...

yummy, yummy, yummy once again! you just keep outdoing yerself!

Chef Fresco said...

Looks good! Do you have a grill pan? They work great for indoor grilling! Good luck on the marathon, I'm impressed!

Marta said...

I'll trade my suburban house with two big grills for inner-city living any day of the week!
This sandwich looks delicious! Very resourceful on your part :)

Deeba PAB said...

This dinner looks so good...excellent. Love that you enjoyed every bit of it. Congrats on caving in on Twitter & for the ward too! YAY for you!!

Emily said...

Mmm what a sandwich! Look at those rolls. You can't find rolls like that here.
It looks perfect.

Maris said...

Well I'll be making this for dinner in the very near future! I'm always looking for new ways to cook steak!

Michelle @ Find Your Balance said...

Mmmm and I just bought some strip steak at the Farmer's Market! Perfect. No grill here, either :-(

Jamie said...

Oh, big hugs back to you! You deserve the award! And when you do break down and buy that huge house in the Hampton's and the state-of-art grilling station, just let me know. I'll be spending my vacation there with you! Great steak sandwich, too!

Erik said...

Looks delicious! I wonder if it would have turned out better from a grill. I recently saw a video from Weber titled "Weber Grill Master Series" that talks about grilling being one of the few cooking methods that actually adds flavor instead of taking it away. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBC3x4eTEDQ&feature=related