Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches

 

I must confess that as excited as I am about this particular meal post, I really don’t know much about philly sandwiches. I’ve never had a “real” one and can only imagine what they should taste like.  And, quite honestly, I’m pretty sure this is what they’re supposed to taste like. These are amazing! Simple flavors, amazing results.

 

 

One of the things I get frustrated with when I go out to eat is how tremendous the servings are. I can make these to fit the needs of my family; a bit smaller and easier to handle with room left for some fun sides and maybe even dessert. Mmm, cookies… brownies… ice cream…

 

Oops, back on topic.

 

The important thing to remember about this meal is that although there are multiple steps, it goes fast! It’s really important to have everything prepped before you start because once you start, it’s hard to stop for prep.

 

 

The bonus is that you can get cheese, rolls, and veggies ready way ahead of time. Like hours! Also, if you’re slicing your own meat, you definitely want to do that far ahead as well; you can do this a day in advance if you wanted. 

 

 

I love this meal. It’s heartwarming, it’s a comfort meal. It’s fun for family dinner or a buffet party night. It’s time to enjoy!

 

 

 

Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches

 

 

 

1 lb thinly sliced steak*

2 Tbs EVOO

½ white onion, quarter slices

6-8 sweet peppers, de-seeded and sliced

1 garlic clove, minced

½ tsp coarse salt

½ tsp black pepper

4 slices provolone cheese

4 small hoagie buns **

 

For the Sauce:

2 Tbs butter

3 Tbs flour

1 ½ c milk

4 oz provolone cheese, shredded

Salt and pepper to taste

 

To make the sauce:

Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the flour and cook for a minute to make sure it’s cooked through. Slowly add the milk to the sauce pan, making sure to heat it through and mix it thoroughly.

Once the milk is warmed and everything is mixed, remove from the heat and slowly add the cheese a handful at a time. Stir it in to melt and then add a bit more. Continue this until all of the cheese is added. Once the sauce is done, set it aside for serving.

 

For the rolls:

Heat the broiler on low. Slice the rolls open and place them on a foil covered jelly roll pan (I make foil balls to place inside the rolls to hold them open while browning). Place them in the oven broiler for just a couple of minutes. Once lightly browned, pull them out of the oven and remove the foil balls. Place a slice of cheese inside each of the rolls, pressing softly down so they’ll melt into the bottom of the roll. Set them aside and prepare the meat.

 

For the meat filling:

Heat a skillet to med-high. Once warmed, add 1 Tbs EVOO and allow to warm but not smoke. Add the onions and peppers to brown. Continue stirring to be sure they don’t burn; you just want a nice browned caramelization. Add your garlic and cook for another minute. Once finished, remove from the skillet.

Heat another 1 Tbs of EVOO until just smoking. Place the sliced meat into to skillet and leave it to sear. Add the salt and pepper for seasoning and then stir the meat. It only takes a couple of minutes to cook the meat because it’s so thin. Don’t overcook it or the meat will become dry. Taste it to make sure there’s enough salt. At this point, you can add the pepper-onion mix back to the skillet, or you can put the meat into the hoagies and then place the pepper-onion mix on top. Add your cheese sauce to the top of the sandwich and you are ready to serve.

 

*I buy the pre-sliced philly sandwich meat at Kroger, but if you slice your own meat, place it in the freezer for 15-20 minutes to help make super thin slicing a little easier

**I buy small sandwich rolls instead of full size hoagie rolls. You might need to increase the amount of meat 1 ½ lbs if you use larger rolls.