Alison Roman's Potato Kugel

 

 Steak-Joint Chicago Cheesesteaks

When I saw the latest Food Network Magazine was dedicated to cheese, I knew I had to make something out of it ASAP. I had invited some of my girlfriends over for dinner, with cheese in mind. There were so many options in the magazine, which is always a problem for me. It becomes too hard to make a decision! Thankfully, Riley took control of the menu, and decided on Jeff Mauro's Chicago Style Cheesesteaks. I have been into sandwiches recently, and so it sounded good to me as well. For those of you who don't know who Jeff Mauro is, he's basically the sandwich king from the Food Network.

The cheesesteaks turned out really delicious. The vegetable giardiniera topping came out wonderful. Riley had started it earlier in the day, so the flavors really got to develop. Without the topping, I don't think the sandwich would have been half as good.

We cooked for 8 people, so it would have been wise to double this recipe. We ended up having to make double the cheese and double the onions, but kept the steak to a minimum in each sandwich. That was a shame. 

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 12-ounce bone-in-rib eye steaks, at room temperature
Granulated garlic, to taste
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3/4 ricotta cheese
1/2 cup shredded white cheddar cheese (about 2 ounces)
1/2 cup shredded provolone cheese, (about 2 ounces)
1 medium onion, halved and sliced
4 fresh crusty sub rolls, cut in half lengthwise
1 cup jarred or homemade hot giardiniera, finely chopped in a food processor (see the recipe below)

Directions:

1. Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil in a cast-iron skillet over high heat until very hot. Season both sides of the steaks with granulated garlic, salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium high and sear the steaks until well browned, about 2 minutes per side for medium-rare to medium doneness. Remove from the skillet and loosely cover with foil. Meanwhile, mix the ricotta, cheddar, and provolone in a bowl.

2. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and season with salt and pepper; cook, stirring, until the onion is soft, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

3. Thinly slice the steaks against the grain. Divide the onion into 4 portions. Arrange 2 portions onion in long piles in the nonstick skillet over medium heat; top with 1/4 of the cheese mixture, then 1/4 of the steak and an open roll.

Let the cheese melt until gooey, then scoop up with a spatula, flip right-side up and top with the giardiniera. Repeat to make 2 more sandwiches.

Jeff's Hot Giardiniera

Dissolve 1/4 cup fine sat, in 2 cups water. Stir in 1 cup each diced carrot, and cauliflower, 4 to 8 slices serrano chiles, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 diced celery stalk, and 1 diced red bell pepper. Refrigerate overnight (or a few hours, whatever), then drain, and rinse. Mix 2 cups canola oil with 1 tablespoon dried oregano and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Mix in the vegetables, cover and refrigerate overnight (or up to 3 weeks in an airtight container).