Life is all about balance, right? Last night, we had that amazing peach prosciutto salad that has become a weekly summer staple (on the menu 5 times since I first made it June 28!). But, to make sure my body and soul remain balanced, naturally, I turned to Chrissy Teigen.
I think my husband is afraid of the idea of me with a blowtorch, because, even though I (finally) have butane in my new torch, he vetoed my first choice of scallop pasta with casino breadcrumbs - where I could have gotten a nice char/crust on the bivalves in question. Instead, we chose her philly french dip sandwiches (with homemade “whiz”) and salt and vinegar oven fries.
Ingredients:
Cheesesteaks:
Cheese Sauce:
3 TB butter
3 TB flour
1 c. whole milk
6 slices American cheese (from the deli), torn into pieces
½ tsp kosher salt
⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
Steak:
1 ¼ lbs NY strip steak, trimmed of excess fat, chilled in the freezer for 30 minutes [or, you can use the cheat I’m trying - buying korean BBQ/shabu shabu sliced NY strip at Costco/your local Asian market]
2 tsp soy sauce
Salt & pepper
¼ c. olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 c. beef broth [plus red wine if you have some kicking around]
4 hero, hoagie, or sub rolls
Fries:
2 c. distilled white vinegar
¼ c. kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
4 large russet potatoes (~3lbs), skin on, scrubbed
6 TB vegetable oil
Preheat oven to 450F.
In a large pot, combine 6 cups of water, the vinegar, and ¼ cup kosher salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile, cut the potatoes: stand the potatoes up on its end and cut it lengthwise into ½ inch thick ovals. Stack the ovals and cut them lengthwise into batons (fry shapes).
Line a baking sheet with a kitchen towel. Put the potatoes into the water (it’s ok if it’s not boiling yet), bring to a boil, and boil for 8 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon (be careful not to break them; they should be sort of firm, but bendy) to the lined baking sheet to dry out the potatoes for the next step. Blot them with paper towels. Let cool.
For the cheese sauce, heat the butter in a small heavy saucepan. Add the flour and cook, stirring, until blonde, 2-3 minutes. Whisk in the milk and bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until thickened slightly, 3-4 minutes. Add the cheese, salt, and cayenne and stir until smooth. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm. (You can reheat over low heat, if necessary, when you’re about to serve)
If you didn’t cheat like me with your meat, remove the steak from the freezer and slice it really thinly against the grain. Place it in a bowl, toss it with the soy sauce, and season generously with salt and pepper.
Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl and toss with 2 TB of the oil and 1 tsp of salt. Divide the remaining 4 TB oil between two large rimmed baking sheets (2 TB per sheet). Heat the oiled sheets in the oven until very hot, but not smoking, 5-6 minutes. Remove the sheets from the oven and quickly divide the potatoes between them, making sure they all actually sit on the surface of the pan. Return to the oven and bake until the undersides are brown and crisp and the top edges are darkened, about 20 minutes.
In a large skillet, heat the oil over high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until browned in spots and softened, about 9 minutes. Season with salt. Add the garlic and cook 1 additional minute. Add the steak and cook, stirring, until just cooked through and tender, 2-4 minutes. Transfer the meat and onions to a plate and cover to keep warm. Add the broth to the skillet [I added a splash of red wine...natch!] and bring to a boil, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom into the broth. Reduce the heat to medium and boil to reduce the liquid slightly to make a jus, about 4 minutes.
Open the oven, scrape the fries with a metal spatula to turn them, then bake until the fries are golden and crisp all around, another 10 minutes. Drain on paper towels and season with more salt.
Split and toast the buns. Warm the beef jus over a very low flame. Divide the steak mixture among the bottom side of the buns and drizzle with jus (just enough to moisten, but don’t soak the buns so you can’t pick them up). [I had reduced the jus quite a bit so I just tossed the meat/onions into the jus.] Close the buns, cut them in half, and serve with the cheese sauce, dipping as you eat.
I've been to Philadelphia, I've eaten at the touristy places (Pats...Ginos) and the hole in the wall places. I've always found them kind of dry and unappetizing...in desperate need of an amazing sauce! This sandwich is like a magical unicorn of meaty, flavorful goodness. Add the "whiz" and you've got a saucy delight. The fries really do taste like salt and vinegar. They are crispy like you deep fried them, but infinitely healthier, so make sure to dip them in the cheese sauce!
Sandwich - Excellent
Fries - Excellent
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