The absolute beauty of this meal is that it is what everyone I know loves: rustic, satisfying, easy to make, un-pretentious but so incredibly delicious that every single person I've ever made it for has requested a 'repeat performance' just days later! I think it's the perfect thing to serve for a casual night of entertaining- serve it with some great red wine (may I suggest a lovely Cabernet Sauvingnon?) and some balsamic & honey dressed arugula. This menu is condusive to a chilled out night full of great conversation and laughter with people you love. I definitely created it for the people I love!
- Portion size 6 servings
- Credits : laura.meyer
Ingredients
Method
Preheat broiler and grill before starting. Roll up your sleeves and let's have some fun - one of the tastiest steak sandwiches you've ever eaten is less than 45 minutes away!1) Peel the onions and cut them into strips. Place the onions in a large pan with high sides, together with 1 tbsp of the butter and 2 tbsp of the extra virgin olive oil. Caramelize these onions over medium low heat. (Since caramelizing takes a while, proceed with next steps of recipe...just keep an eye on onions and stir periodically). Once they are soft and golden brown, season the onions with salt and pepper to taste as well as the sugar for added sweetness. Keep warm on low heat.
2) Drizzle both sides of the steak with a little extra virgin olive oil and massage into the meat. Then season the steaks well with Montreal steak spice on either side.
3) On a very hot, oiled grill, sear both sides of the steak for aproximately 2 minutes. The goal is to get the ouside grilled with a nice crust but to have the meat blue-rare or very rare inside (you'll see why we need it that rare in a minute!). Take off the grill and cover tightly with tin foil immediately and let rest.
4) Split all of the buns in half and place, split side up, on a cookie sheet. Lightly butter all of the buns, making sure to get butter spread all the way out to the sides. Place cookie sheet with buttered buns under the broiler and watch them with a hawk-eye! Once they are a toasty golden brown all over take them out.
5) While they are still hot rub a cut-side of the garlic over the hot, toasted, buttery side of each bun. (Pause and try to control yourself - the smell of the warm bread, butter and garlic will almost tempt you to eat a piece of the garlic toast).
6) Spread each bun with the garlic mayo, and then a layer of horseradish to taste. If you like things saucy, add lots! If you just want a light taste of the mayonnaise and horseradish, just do a thin layer. Set aside for a moment.
7) Turn the caramelized onions back up to medium heat and add about 1 cup of the (drained) roasted red pepper strips, the baby spinach and the thyme leaves (simply hold the top of the thyme stem and pull the leaves off the stem backwards into the pan). Stir all of these yummy ingredients together and let them all heat up and the spinach should wilt.
8) In a small bowl combine the ketchup, barbecue sauce, water, worcestershire, hot sauce, parsley and salt and pepper to taste. It should create a spicy/sweet/savoury sauce. If you like it spicy, add more hot sauce. If you like it sweeter, add more ketchup. This is all about creating a flavour you love.
9) Place the steaks that have been resting on a cutting board and slice them as thin as you can.
10) Add the sliced steaks and the sauce into the pan with the hot onion, peppers, and spinach mixture. Toss all of these ingredients togther until everything is coated in sauce. This is why we left the steaks so rare. They continue to cook now.
11) Once they are rare to medium rare, heap an equal amount of this steak mixture onto each bun.
12) Crumble the chevre (be generous here!) over the steak mixture. Feel free to substitute Canadian white cheddar here if your guests don't care for goat cheese.
13) Pop all the sandwiches under the broiler just until the cheese gets melty and ever so slightly brown. And now? The best part!
14) Remove from oven and serve 2 halves per person and accompany with balsamic & honey dressed arugula and a great red wine. Bask in the compliments you are about to receive! I hope the people you love enjoy this recipe as much as the people I love do.
