Grilled steak sandwich with jalapeño chimichurri

It's time to give this old standby a jolt of Latin flavor.

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The steak sandwich is pretty straightforward. You have steak, usually sliced thin, topped with cheese, usually some onions or peppers, and generally that’s about it. It’s one of the most ubiquitous sandwiches in America, but it can often fall a bit flat. Somewhere along the way, a lot of places that sell these sandwiches decided that they didn’t need to season them, or do anything but pile the cheapest beef cuts onto a soft, forgettable roll with a slice of cheese. You often get gray, chewy beef that looks like it came right out of a microwave, probably because it did. It doesn’t have to be like this, though.

Putting even a minimal level of care into your ingredients and preparation can make this sandwich really sing. But beyond just making sure everything is cooked well, the best way to make a steak sandwich really shine is to load that bad boy up with chimichurri.

Chimichurri is a bright, acidic, and herbaceous sauce from Argentina, and is a classic pairing with steak. There are hundreds of different versions, but they all involve a coarse blend of fresh herbs, lime juice, vinegar, garlic, and olive oil. This version uses roasted jalapeños, which I first saw when I made this chimichurri recipe by Ted Allen a few years ago. The mild heat from the roasted chiles adds another dimension to this already delicious sauce, as well as giving it a somewhat thicker consistency. This chimichurri uses somewhat less olive oil than most, because I didn’t want it to be too thin. It also uses scallions along with the traditional cilantro and parsley.

I made the rolls for these sandwiches using this recipe for Italian sub rolls from King Arthur Flour, and I cannot recommend this recipe enough. I cut open one of the rolls to try it and it immediately reminded me of the good bread you get in a basket at an Italian restaurant. It was dead simple to make and didn’t require lots of steps or dough handling, and the rolls came out with a wonderful crunchy exterior and pillowy soft interior. The rolls were sturdy enough for the sandwich, but weren’t tough enough to make you fight for every bite.

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Steak sandwiches with jalapeño chimichurri

Serves: 6 sandwiches
Cook time: 1 hour

Ingredients

1.5 lbs skirt or flank steak (see note)
1 large onion, sliced thin (see note)
1 tbsp olive oil
6 slices provolone cheese, or some other mild white cheese
6 sub rolls
Arugula for serving

Jalapeño chimichurri
2 jalapeño peppers
2 cups fresh parsley, rough chopped
2 cups fresh cilantro, rough chopped
3 scallions, green and light green parts only, chopped
3 tbsp lime juice, from about 1-2 limes
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup olive oil
Salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Turn on oven broiler or grill. Cook jalapeños until their skin blisters and lightly chars, monitoring closely to make sure they don’t totally burn. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly before peeling the skin and seeding. Place the peppers in the bowl of a food processor.

2. Add parsley, cilantro, scallions, garlic, lime juice, red wine vinegar, salt, and black pepper to the food processor and turn on, pulsing for a few seconds. Add the oil to the bowl and continue pulsing until chimichurri is of a uniform consistency after a few seconds. Remove from food processor and refrigerate until ready to serve.

3. Heat olive oil in medium pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add sliced onions and saute until translucent and starting to brown on the outside, about 5-6 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.

4. Preheat grill. Season steak with salt and black pepper, and cook until it reaches your preferred level of doneness. For medium, cook for about 4-6 minutes a side until steak reaches 140-145 degrees.

5. Right before steak is done, place rolls on the grill, cut side down, toasting lightly for a minute or two. Check to make sure they don’t burn.

6. Once steak is done, let it rest for 5-10 minutes. Slice it thin going across the grain of the meat. Place meat on the roll, followed by cheese, onions, and chimichurri. Top it with some arugula and serve.

Notes

1. Beef is expensive, I get it. Skirt or flank steak would be the ideal cut for this sandwich, but honestly any cut will work fine outside of maybe cubed up stew beef. As long as you season it and carefully cook it to your desired level of doneness, it will be good. I got a good deal on a big piece of sirloin, and have previously used ribeye and really enjoyed it. Don’t get concerned if you don’t have the right cut.

2. When I made the sandwich, I had planned ahead and made a large batch of caramelized onions several days ahead of time. The caramelized onions were delicious, but a standard sauteed onion would be more appropriate for this sandwich, giving it more textural variation.