The best steak sandwich ever!

In my opinion, this truly is the best homemade steak sandwich I’ve ever made.

Who doesn’t love a good steak?  

I think this question very much depend on who you ask… As a South African, I’ve had my fair share of good, great and not-so-good steaks in my lifetime. I do not claim to know everything there is to know about steaks or meat, but I do know that fat is flavour and a well-rested steak is just so much more enjoyable.

Lately, I’ve had this obsession with experimenting with lighter meals or just something different. So why not put the steak in-between two pieces of (homemade) bread, add some bits and bops and have the best steak sandwich ever!

The components:

For me, the bread is really important. It provides structure and texture to the whole dish. It is a vessel for flavours to sink in and mellow out to allow for a taste explosion. I love baking my own bread as I can shape it according to my needs. Of course, you can use anything you fancy.

Why not try and bake your own bread? Here’s my recipe: Freshly baked bread

Ciabatta is a firm favourite as it provides the structure you need, but you can also use a crusty tiger loaf, a nice sourdough or even some crusty rolls if you’d like.

When I think about steak, my tastebuds long for a strong pairing of either mustard or horseradish. Lashings of either just heightens the earthiness of the beef.

Steak. As I said above: fat is flavour! I love a spot of marbling on a lovely ribeye steak. If you are not too fond of fat, you can try sirloin, rump or even fillet steak.

I always have onions and garlic in all my dishes. I cannot imagine life without either. The onions impart a subtle sweetness and the garlic gives it a savoury kick.

Green stuff. Not only should any greens make the overall dish pretty to look at, but it should complement the flavours. I opt for the mustardy flavour of baby salad cress. It is so satisfying to snip it lovingly over the steak slices just before serving the sandwich.

Assembly tips and tricks

The very first thing I will do before I even attempt to start this steak sandwich is to take the steak out of the fridge and remove all packaging. This allows the meat to come to room temperature so it will cook more evenly later on.

I absolutely love garlic butter. I not only brush it over the top of the bread, but also inside the bread (usually the top half) before I place it in the oven so the garlic can cook a little.

I also make my own mustard. It is potent so a little goes a long way! If you are not keen on the taste of strong English mustard, why not substitute it for Dijon or wholegrain mustard? You can even put horseradish on if you’d like – the combinations really are endless!

I will never leave out the onions, but if I’m a bit hungrier or if I fancy something fresher I will often add sliced tomatoes and cucumber on top of the onion.

Adding cheese is a complete luxury and will elevate this sandwich to something even more decadent. Blue cheese works very well with the steak (you may want to leave out the mustard as the flavours can become overpowering). You can also try melting on some mozzarella if you are after a nice cheese pull!

Don’t forget to scatter over your micro herbs. I use salad cress as not only does it have that subtle mustardy flavour, but it is also available in most shops and keeps very well in the fridge. Just take a pair of scissors and snip it over.

The last thing I do is to pour over any steak juices and remaining garlic butter (if there is any left!). Don’t let anything go to waste!

Fancy some more Friday night treats?