Steak Sandwich

This is another Ina Garten recipe with minor tweaks by me. I cook so many of her recipes because, well, she’s simply the best and this steak sandwich is a real man-pleaser. If there’s a guy you want in your life, make him this sandwich and he’ll follow you forever. If there’s already a guy in your life, make him this sandwich and he’ll think he’s died and gone to heaven. BeeBop really loves it. Just be sure to give them plenty of napkins along with it.

Here’s what you need:

1 12-0z 1-inch thick New York strip steak
Kosher salt
Black pepper
Olive oil
2 yellow onions, sliced in rings
1/2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
1 recipe Mustard Mayo (recipe follows)
2 sub buns, a loaf of French bread, or other rustic bread
(Note: I used a ciabatta loaf this time, but honestly, a softer bread would have been nicer. Made a pretty picture, though.)
1/2 cup baby arugula

Here’s what you do:

Season the steak liberally with salt and pepper on both sides.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium saute pan over high heat until it’s almost smoking, then sear the steak for about a minute.

Turn it over and sear the other side for about a minute. The pan should be very hot while you’re searing. I used an iron skillet because it gets really hot and holds the heat for a long time.

Reduce the heat to low and cook the steak for about 7 to 10 minutes for rare, up to 15 minutes for well done. Remove to a plate and cover tightly with foil, and allow to sit for 10 minutes while you cook the onions.

Use the same pan but don’t clean it out. Just leave all that good brown stuff in there. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat.

Add the onion and thyme and saute for 10 minutes.

Stir the often making sure you turn them over frequently so they all cook evenly and turn a golden, caramel brown.

To assemble the sandwiches, first slice the steak on an angle.

And if you can resist popping that one little piece on the end into your mouth, you’re a better woman than I am. Around here that’s called the “Cook’s Treat.”