I am starting a new series of posts on reasonable in home meals that are easy to prepare. This is the first of these posts. I was reading my local grocery store flyers yesterday morning looking for deals. There are, of course, different stores that are known to carry better items in certain departments. For instance, the Genuardi's has one of the better meat sections for pork and beef. Acme is better for produce, seafood and random ingredients.
This particular meal came from two stores: Genuardi's and The Fresh Market. At Genuardi's, I bought the yellow onion ($.99/lb), and baby portobello mushrooms ($2/6oz. package) and meat- one bone-in Rancher's Reserve Black Angus New York Strip at $4.49/lb for $5.34. At The Fresh Market, I bought the roll ($.75/roll), asparagus ($3/bundle), sweet potato ($.99/lb for $1.29), Brussell sprouts ($3/bundle at about 1lb.), and four strips of bacon ($4.99/lb for $1.45).
Here is the process for this delicious sandwich. First, clean and cut the sweet potatoes into wedges. In a large bowl, drizzle olive oil and shake to coat all sides- don't add salt and pepper until you take them out of the oven. Place in the oven and roast for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees. When they come out, season them with salt and pepper. After 7-10 minutes, repeat with the asparagus.
For the steak, as soon as you get the meat home, or up to four hours before the meal, open the package and place on a plate. Season the meat liberally with salt on both sides and allow to sit out on the counter. For more seasoning tips, see my past post. You will need a griddle or other sautéing vessel. Heat the griddle to about 350 degrees, or at the point that the olive oil begins to smoke a bit (this is ok, just back down the heat a smidgen). Now, you only want to turn your meat once, so sear the meat on the first side for about 4-5 minutes depending on the thickness of the meat. You should get a nice crust on the steak by then. (The salt pulls fat and juice to the surface of the meat and then caramelizes at high temperatures.) After 5 minutes on both sides, place in the oven (which should contain the sweet potatoes and asparagus) for 10 or so more minutes. You are looking for an internal temp of about 130 degrees on your meat.
While cooking the above delicious things, clean your Brussell sprouts and shave them thinly on a mandolin, or shave thinly with a sharp knife. Dress your raw shaved sprouts with a light drizzle of truffle oil and shaved pecorino romano cheese. YUM.
The last thing is the sauteed mushroom. and onions. It is just a little olive oil in a pan, cut the mushrooms in threes and sauté the mushrooms alone for 2-3 minutes on medium heat. Then add the onions and cook till just slightly soft. Remove into a bowl and throw the bacon in the same pan. Cook till crispy (if you need instructions on cooking bacon, please sell your pots and pans and leave the kitchen).
Arraigning the sandwich! After everything is out of the oven, turn it off and place the roll, open end down, in there for about 2 minutes to crisp it up. Spread a little mayo (regular old mayo, or see below for a trick) on the bun. Dress the sandwich with the bacon first, then the sautéed mushrooms and onions. Throw a few sprigs of asparagus into the mix. Then slice the meat (after 5-10 minutes of resting of course) on an angle against the grain of the meat for maximum tenderness. Stack the meat on, then a little pepper-jack cheese and arugula. Add tomato if you like, but they are really bad this time of year.
Sounds delicious, so go cook it!
-Kris
There are two little things that can really elevate the dish. Spicy ketchup for the sweet potatoes and a balsamic infused mayo for the sammy.
Sounds delicious and looks beautiful!
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