30 Minute Steak Sandwiches
Fast dinners were built on recipes like these steak sandwiches. Juicy and affordable skirt steak makes these convenient for busy nights or any time you’re craving a special sandwich.
“Cheese in a can is real cheese! It says so right here on the side–100% real cheese.”
Oh dear. In my defense, I didn’t buy this for my husband (it was a gift from a coworker). And in his defense, I realize that I’ve probably eaten more pasteurized process cheese in a jar than he has. I may be a lot of things, but I’m no hypocrite people.
“It may be some kind of cheese honey, but think about what they had to do to it to get it in that jar. What else is in there with your 100% cheese?” I asked him.
He didn’t care. He was still studying on how to get it out.
The engineer was stumped. Pointing the nozzle at his face he said, “How in the world does this thing work?” He can program robots the size of semi trucks to build precision car parts within a millimeter, but we can’t work the cheese.
I don’t know how he got through 37 years in the United States and never had easy cheese. “Wow this stuff is guuhhhd…” he said. I waited for him to turn into a 12 year old boy and start spraying it directly in his mouth–which thankfully never happened. There may be hope for him yet. But not that cheese. I wonder how far back in the fridge I can shove it before he forgets it’s here?
About this recipe
Don’t worry though–there’s no easy cheese on my wonderful, tender 30-minute steak sandwiches. I do recommend that you marinate your steak overnight if possible (does that break the 30 minute rule?). But if you can’t its fine to give it a little salt and pepper and broil it anyway.
I used a $7 cut of skirt steak here–it’s cheap, a 1-pound steak feeds the four of us, and marinating it makes it super tender. Flank steak is also very good here. Just remember that with both cuts, you will need to slice it across the grain to serve it or else you’ll be eating shoe leather. If your family wants a piled high sandwich (like the one I photographed) then make twice as much meat.
The steak gets about 8 minutes under the broiler (stick a meat thermometer in it and broil to an internal temp of 145 for medium), and you can brown the onions while it’s roasting and resting. Then it’s just a matter of assembly–and you can have dinner on the table in 30 minutes or less.
If you’ve never worked with a skirt or flank steak before, you can learn more about how to broil a skirt steak here.
30 Minute Steak Sandwiches
Ingredients
- For the marinade:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 cloves medium of garlic sliced or crushed
- zest and juice of one lemon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1-1 1/4 pound flank or skirt steak trimmed of any excess fat or tough membranes
- For the sandwiches:
- 4 large onion rolls or sandwich buns
- 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
- 2 cups arugula butter lettuce would also work
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 large white onions thinly sliced into rings
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar optional
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Start with the marinade:
- Mix all ingredients with the meat in a medium bowl. Toss well. Cover and refrigerate overnight if possible, but just an hour or two is fine too. If you can't marinate, just move ahead with the recipe but salt and pepper your steak well before broiling.
- Start by cooking your onions. Heat the oil in a medium skillet until hot--about 5 minutes. Add the onions and the sugar. Toss to coat. Sprinkle on a dash of salt and pepper and add the vinegar if you are using it. Cook on medium high until golden brown, stirring occasionally--about 15 minutes or so.
- While the onions cook, preheat your broiler and insert a meat thermometer if using.
- Broil the meat about 5 inches from the flame for about 5 minutes per side, or until the thermometer reads 145 degrees for medium.
- Remove from the oven and allow to rest for five minutes before slicing.
- Spread the buns with butter and toast in a skillet until just golden (or you can stick them under the broiler with the meat, but keep an eye on them).
- Slice your meat into thin strips, no thicker than 1/4 of an inch wide across the grain.
- Layer 1 tablespoon of mustard on the bottom of each bun. Add 1/2 cup arugula, followed by the steak and onions.
Nutrition
The marinade sounds amazing!