Chicago Steakhouse Sandwich

It would be tough to find a heartier sandwich than this one. And I love that it's a full meal all in one package, complete with greens. I'm also crazy about the little garlic chips you make to go with the spinach. I recommend making some extra because I wanted to snack on the whole pile. I think someone needs to sell those in bags. Not me...so if you like to sell, feel free to take the idea and run with it. If you become a garlic chip magnate and want to thank me, I'll take a beach house. Nothing fancy (ocean view and pool of course, but you can leave out the jacuzzi).

CHICAGO STEAKHOUSE SANDWICH

Yield: 4 servings

Steak:

1 (20 oz.) boneless rib eye steak

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Sautéed Garlicky Spinach:

3 tablespoons olive oil

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

3 (10-ounce) bags fresh spinach, washed and stemmed

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Buttermilk Blue Cheese Dressing:

2 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 cup mayonnaise

1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh dill

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Sandwich Build:

1 fresh loaf crispy French bread, cut into 8-inch segments, buttered and grilled

1.      For the steak: Heat a cast-iron skillet over high heat until very hot. Sprinkle both sides of the steak with salt and pepper. Place the steak in the hot skillet, reduce the heat to medium and sear until well browned, about 4 minutes. Flip the steak and cook until medium/medium-rare, about 6 more minutes. Set aside, loosely covered with foil, and let rest before slicing.

2.      For the sautéed garlicky spinach: Heat the oil and sliced garlic in a Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the garlic is golden brown and crispy. Remove the garlic and set aside on a paper towel to drain. Add the crushed red pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the spinach and stir to combine with the oil. Cover and let cook over medium-high heat until the spinach is wilted but still bright in color, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and toss with the garlic chips.

3.      For the buttermilk blue cheese dressing: Mix the mayonnaise, buttermilk, blue cheese, dill, mustard and pepper together in a bowl and set aside. Adjust the seasoning if necessary.

4.      For the sandwich build: Slice the rested steak against the grain into 1/4-inch slices, removing any non-rendered fat. Place the steak slices on the bottom bun, top with the spinach and schmear the top bun with buttermilk blue cheese dressing.

from Jeff Mauro

blue cheese dressing ingredients

raw steaks

seared steaks

raw sliced garlic

crispy garlic chips

They're too small to dip - unless you don't mind everyone's fingers
deep down in the bowl (ew). But I still think they could catch on.

raw spinach

adding garlic to cooked spinach

I got the bread nice and toasty in the already hot
cast iron pan (it didn't seem worth turning on the
grill just for that).

sliced steak

As you can see, I like mine on the rare side.

topped with spinach & garlic

and blue cheese dressing

Chicago steakhouse sandwich

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