Philly Steak Sandwich

I made these sandwiches the night before I left on my trip. They were so good and so filling. Dean had two more dinners from our leftovers. I went to my butcher and had him cut a London broil into thin slices for the meat. It worked out wonderfully. Also he was so accommodating. It's hard to find good customer service, but the Fresh Market is top notch. This sandwich made Dean and I both think of college because there was little place on campus called The Grill. We would go there and have philly cheesesteaks. The buns were grilled in butter...yum-o!! Eating these made us think back to those late night snacks.

The key to these sandwiches is thinly sliced meat and caramalized onions. Dean would have liked it if I had added green peppers, but since I'm not a fan of green peppers, I didn't. Sorry Dean...next time.

I paired these sandwiches with Cheese and Herb Oven Fries. A lot healthier than chips.

This is another great recipe thanks to Rachael Ray. Rachael gave a lot of good tips on how to make these taste like they were right off the streets of Philly. The addition of garlic salt and black pepper at the end of cooking the meat add so much flavor.

Philly Steak Sandwich

Onions:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
2 large yellow skinned onions, sliced very thin
Coarse salt and pepper or steak seasoning blend

Meat:
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 drizzles
1 1/2 pounds lean beef tenderloin or sirloin, ask butcher to slice the meat very thin
1 teaspoon garlic salt
Freshly ground black pepper
8 slices provolone cheese

Heat a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan. Add onions and season with salt and pepper or steak seasoning blend. Cook onions, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes or until onions are soft and caramel in color.

Heat a heavy griddle pan over medium high to high heat. Wipe griddle with a drizzle of oil using a paper towel. Sear and cook thin sliced steaks until brown but not crisp, about 2 minutes on each side. Cook steaks in single layers in 2 batches and tenderize by cutting into meat with the side of your spatula while they cook. When the steaks are browned, just before you remove them from heat, sprinkle them with garlic salt and pepper. When all of the steaks are cooked, line each of your split rolls with 2 slices of provolone cheese. Pile 1/4 of your meat and onions on to the griddle and mix together with your spatula. Pile the meat and onions into rolls on top of the cheese. The heat from the meat and onions will melt the cheese. Repeat for remaining servings and serve.