New York Strip Steak Dinner Sandwich

(2)
"The NY Strip Steak Dinner Sandwich is a gourmet delight, featuring cast iron-seared NY strip steak, creamy spinach, sweet caramelized onions, and a zesty mustard aioli, all nestled within a toasted ciabatta bread for a luxurious blend of flavors and textures."
-- @hecooksco

Recipe Description

The New York Strip Steak Dinner Sandwich is a culinary masterpiece, encapsulating the essence of a gourmet meal within the confines of ciabatta bread. This sandwich isn’t just a meal though; it’s an experience, a journey through flavors and textures that are both sophisticated and immensely satisfying. At its heart of this sandwich is the cast iron seared New York strip steak, a cut renowned for its fine marbling and robust flavor. Searing it in a cast iron skillet ensures that each bite of steak is enveloped in a perfectly caramelized crust, locking in the succulence and creating a texture that’s irresistibly tender, yet satisfyingly chewy. The steak is just the beginning. Complementing its rich depth is creamed spinach, a side dish elevated to new heights in this sandwich. The spinach is cooked down until it’s tender, then swirled into a creamy, garlicky sauce that clings to every leaf. This velvety, decadent concoction that provides a wonderfully silky contrast to the hearty steak. The garlic’s subtle bite and the cream’s smooth richness ensure that the spinach is not just a supporting player but a star in its own right. No gourmet sandwich would be complete without the sweet complexity of caramelized onions. Slowly cooked until they’re deep amber in color, these thick sliced onions add a layer of sweetness that complements the savory steak and rich spinach. Caramelized onions are a testament to the power of patience, transformed from sharp and pungent to soft, sweet, and buttery. Their melt-in-your-mouth texture and deep, mellow sweetness bridge the flavors of the steak and spinach, creating a harmony of tastes that is nothing short of sublime. The ensemble is brought together by a tangy mustard aioli, a crucial component that ties all the flavors together with its zesty profile. Crafted from Dijon mustard, mayonnaise, lemon juice, garlic, and a dash of Worcestershire sauce, this aioli is a bold condiment that adds a bright, acidic contrast to the rich ingredients. Its creamy texture and sharp, savory notes cut through the richness, adding a dimension of flavor that elevates the sandwich from excellent to extraordinary. Holding this symphony of flavors together is the ciabatta bread, chosen not just for its robust crust but also for its airy, porous interior. The bread is toasted to perfection, its crisp exterior giving way to a soft, chewy middle that’s adept at soaking up the rich juices and sauces without falling apart. The ciabatta’s mild flavor provides the perfect backdrop for the bold tastes and textures within, ensuring that each bite is balanced, satisfying, and complete. The New York Strip Steak Dinner Sandwich is more than the sum of its parts. It’s a bold statement in the world of sandwiches, a dish that refuses to compromise on quality or flavor. It’s a steak dinner reimagined, a portable feast that brings together the best of both worlds: the heartiness of a steakhouse meal and the casual ease of a sandwich. Each component, from the seared steak and creamy spinach to the caramelized onions and ciabatta bread, plays a crucial role in crafting a dish that’s both complex and cohesive. This sandwich is a celebration of flavors, textures, and the joy of eating. It’s a reminder that great food doesn’t have to be confined to a plate, that sometimes, the most memorable meals are the ones we can hold in our hands. Whether enjoyed in the comfort of home or on the go, the NY Strip Steak Dinner Sandwich is a testament to the power of good ingredients, thoughtfully prepared and lovingly assembled, to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary.
Jump to Section
  • Recipe Card
Prep time 30mins
Cook time 30mins
Serves or Makes: 2

Recipe Card

For the Seared New York Strip Steaks

ingredients

  • 1 pound New York strip steak
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
  • 3 sprigs of optional rosemary
  • 2 cloves of optional smashed garlic
  • 2 tablespoons optional unsalted butter

For the Sandwiches

ingredients

  • 2 ciabatta rolls
  • 2 tablespoons mustard aioli
  • 1/2 cup creamed spinach
  • 3-4 slices of seared New York strip steak
  • 1/2 cup caramelized onions

For the Mustard Aioli

ingredients

  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 clove minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

For the Creamed Spinach

ingredients

  • 2 cups fresh spinach
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup cream cheese
  • 3 cloves of minced garlic
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • to taste salt and ground black pepper

Method

  • Step 1

    Prepare the Mustard Aioli: In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce. Mix well and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

  • Step 2

    Make the Creamed Spinach: Blanch the spinach in a large pot of boiling water for 2 minutes. Place in a cold water bath to stop the cooking process. Once cool, chop. In a saute pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant. Add the heavy cream. Simmer for 5 minutes, allowing it to thicken. Add the spinach and cook until wilted. Add the cream cheese, season with salt and pepper, and stir until the mixture thickens. Set aside.

  • Step 3

    Caramelize the Onions: In a cast-iron skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the sliced onions, season with salt and pepper, and cook slowly until they become soft, golden brown, and caramelized. This may take 30-45 minutes. Set aside.

  • Step 4

    Sear the New York Strip Steaks: Allow the steaks to come to room temperature before searing. Season the steaks with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in the same cast-iron skillet used to caramelized the onions over high heat. Once the skillet is hot, add the steaks. Sear for about 4-5 minutes on each side for medium-rare or until desired doneness is reached. [Optional] After flipping, add the butter, garlic, and rosemary to the skillet. Spoon the melted butter and over the steak as it finishes cooking. Remove from heat and let the steaks rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing.

  • Step 5

    Assemble the Sandwiches: Slice the ciabatta rolls in half. Spread a generous amount of mustard aioli on one or both sides of the rolls. Lay the sliced steak on the bottom half, followed by the Swiss cheese. Then layer on the creamed spinach and caramelized onions. Top with the other half of the ciabatta roll.

More from @hecooksco