Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches

It’s both difficult and easy to understand the allure of the famous Philly Cheesesteak. It’s the perfect weeknight comfort food, the perfect hangover food, a classic sandwich – but it certainly ain’t haut cuisine.

I remember in college in Massachusetts hanging out late at night with some friends, dreaming of Philly Cheesesteaks. In typical devil-may-care college student fashion, we hopped in the car and drove the 4.5 hours to get one.

It was worth every bite.

Although cheese wiz is canonical in Philly Cheesesteaks, and everything else is heresy, feel free to use provolone, Velveeta, or American cheese in place of the wiz if you like.

You Will Need

1. A 12 inch cast iron skillet, or cast iron griddle
2. An oversized griddle spatula – these are handy for a lot of things, actually (for example, they’re way better than cake slicers)
3. A fish spatula – which also comes in handy for a lot of things
4. A baking sheet

Ingredients – Makes Three Sandwiches

1. 3, 10-12 inch hoagie or deli rolls (again, Amoroso’s are canonical, but anything will work – key is, minimum of 10 inches) – cut most of the way through lengthwise but leaving a good “hinge” so that the sandwich will open like a book.
2. 24 oz shaved steak – This can be a little tricky to find, but both Kroger and Safeway do carry it in many of their grocery stores; additionally, you can almost always find it at any Asian market
3. 1 bell pepper (any color is fine), very thinly sliced
4. 1 small yellow onion, very thinly sliced (not diced)
5. 6oz baby bella mushrooms, thinly sliced
6. Approximately 1½ teaspoons (about 3, three-finger pinches) of Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
7. Generous grind freshly ground black pepper
8. 9 slices American or Provolone cheese, or cheese wiz
9. Butter
10. Olive Oil

Instructions

1. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add one tablespoon butter. When butter is hot, add hoagie rolls cut side down, one at a time, and toast until golden brown, adding additional butter between rolls as needed. Try not to break the rolls into two distinct halves if you can help it; keep them in “book form” Remove and reserve.
2. Add 1 tablespoon butter and 1-2 tablespoons olive oil – enough to coat the bottom of the pan
3. Add sliced mushrooms and a three-finger pinch (½ teaspoon) Kosher Salt, and sauté until nicely browned; removed with a fish spatula or slotted spoon and reserve
4. Add another tablespoon of butter and some more olive oil to the pan – once again, enough to ensure that the bottom of the pan is coated
5. Reduce heat, and add sliced onion, bell pepper and another three-finger pinch (½ teaspoon) Kosher Salt. Sauté until soft, and the onions begin to get jammy and become translucent and light brown – about 10 minutes; remove and reserve
6. Return heat to medium-high. Add shaved steak and one last three-finger pinch (½ teaspoon) Kosher Salt; break apart aggressively with your griddle spatula in one hand and your fish spatula in the other, scraping and tossing until meat is no longer pink.
7. Once meat is no longer pink, allow to sit in the hot skillet to get some browning on the meat – not too much, but a little bit is ideal.
8. Add bell peppers, onions, and mushrooms back to the skillet and toss and stir to incorporate
9. Scrape two-thirds of the mixture to the edge of the pan, and arrange the remaining third in a long pile down the center of the pan
10. Top this pile with 2 slices of cheese and allow to melt somewhat.
11. Place one of your hoagie rolls cut side down on the pile, and squeeze it with your hand to gather up as much of the filling from the pile as you can. Slide your griddle spatula lengthwise underneath, flip right-side up, and transfer to your baking sheet
12. Repeat with the remaining rolls and meat mixture
13. Top the sandwiches with remaining cheese (about 1 slice each) and pop them under the broiler in your oven for a few minutes to toast

Traditional side is kettle cooked potato chips, preferably Cape Cod Brand, but any chips will be great.

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