Serious Eats: Recipes
Cook the Book: Steak, Tomato, and Onion Sandwiches
[Photograph: Caroline Russock]
Whether or not sandwiches require recipes is something I struggle with. Anyone can throw together a grilled cheese or PB&J, and even more complicated endeavors such as a club sandwich are pretty self explanatory—bread plus condiment and filling equals sandwich. But every once in a while a sandwich recipe changes my mind, and this Steak, Tomato, and Onion Sandwich from Amy Goldman's The Heirloom Tomato made me think twice about my "no sandwich recipes" rule.
The basics of this recipe are fairly standard and definitely fall into the "I could have come up with that on my own" category, but the condiments and extra touches are what really set it apart. The sandwich starts with grilled, sliced rib eye, juicy tomatoes, and peppery arugula on a baguette. But the extras—balsamic marinated grilled red onions and chipotle mayo—are what really make the sandwich. Never in a million years would I have thought to pair chipotles and balsamic, but as unlikely as they sound, the flavors work beautifully together in sweet-smoky-hot harmony.
As always with our Cook the Book feature, we have five (5) copies of The Heirloom Tomato to give away this week.