Steak Sandwich

Name: Steak Sandwich
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Australian
Ingredients: 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing; 4 red onions (about 600g), thinly sliced; Salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to taste; 2 x 100g pieces flank steak; 4 slices soft white bread; 1/4 cup tomato chutney; 2 tablespoons whole egg mayonnaise; Handful rocket leaves

A good steak sandwich is an Aussie icon. It makes for a satisfying, and relatively healthy, fast food meal on long road trips. It can also be upscaled for a delicious casual dinner; I use Beerenberg Tomato Chutney and Brasserie Bread rustic loaf. As with its near-cousin the great Aussie hamburger, good caramelised onions are the difference between exceptional and average results; you can’t rush them, it’s worth taking the time to reduce them down to a dark, sweet, sticky mass (see video below). A dark beer, like the creamy Black Bevy Session Stout from Jervis Bay Brewing goes down a treat with these steak sandwiches.

Serves 2

Ingredients

200g flank steak
Extra virgin olive oil, for brushing
Salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 slices soft white bread
¼ cup tomato chutney
2 tablespoons whole egg mayonnaise
Handful rocket leaves

Caramelised Onion

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
4 red onions (about 600g), thinly sliced
Salt flakes, to taste

Method

Make Caramelised Onion: put oil in a large high-sided frying pan, add onion, salt well and stir to coat. Cover and cook over a low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft. Remove lid, increase heat to medium and continue cooking for another 30 minutes. Increase heat to high and cook for a further 10 minutes or so, stirring often, until dark and sticky.
Heat a char-grill or heavy-based frying pan over high heat.
Meanwhile, cut steak into 4 thin strips across the grain and gently beat them with a meat mallet until about 5mm thick (you can ask the butcher to do this for you when you buy it).
Brush both sides with oil, sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
Cook for about a minute on one side, until well coloured, then turn and cook for a further 30 seconds; remove to a warm plate.
Toast the bread and spread 2 slices with tomato chutney and 2 with mayonnaise.
Top the tomato chutney slices with steak, then Caramelised Onion, then rocket.
Sprinkle with salt and top with the mayonnaise slices.
Dig in!