Grilled Steak and Onion Sandwich

This was dinner tonight and it's a keeper.

Skirt steak is already a small piece of meat because it's so thin, so cutting it down to a single serving size before cooking doesn't work well as the meat will overcook. And overcooked skirt steak = tough = blech. So even if you're making this for one, just cook the whole pound of skirt steak.

I like to marinade in a plastic bag. So easy to dump all the ingredients in the bag, smush them around with your hand, then drop in the meat and smush it around; seal and let sit. And then just toss the bag. ("Smush" is a very technical cooking term...)

Sigh. The gas grill wouldn't light. So, I just popped this under the broiler on a sheet pan with a rack set on it for the same amount of time. Perfectly cooked.

No food processor, no problem! It's not as if finely diced only became a thing when food processors were invented. You're not chopping that much, so just start chopping with a good chef's knife, first in one direction and then the other, until you get the consistency/size you want.

I tasted the skirt steak when it came out of the broiler and, wow, that's a lot of vinegar. And then there is more vinegar in the onion mixture. But surprise! When all that vinegar gets together inside a sandwich, it's actually perfect.

I didn't have arugula on hand, so I just used another lettuce - red leaf, I think - that I did have in the fridge. I used sourdough bread, and instead of Parm shavings, I had some "fancy" shredded Parm (thanks, Aunt Cindy, for your beach leftovers) that I just sprinkled over the sliced steak.

I think the rest of the steak is going to be delicious over some salad with balsamic vinaigrette.

Packing a sandwich

Taking a lunch to the office is far more economical than going out to eat. But a freshly made sandwich can't be beat. Soggy bread and limp veggies are just icky. So when I pack a sandwich for the office, here's what it looks like (before the lids are closed):

• Bread in a baggie or Tupperware sandwich keeper. When I pop my lunch bag into the fridge at work, I first pull out the container with the bread. That way, I have nice soft, room temperature bread at lunchtime.
• Condiments in tiny Tupperware midgets or smidgets containers.
• Lunch meat and cheeses can live together until lunchtime.
• Fresh veggies stay in their own world until lunchtime so they keep their crispness and don't sop up moisture from other sandwich participants.

At lunchtime, it takes about 30 seconds to pull everything out and make a fresh sandwich, with all of the ingredients the right temperature and everything as soft or crispy as it should be.

Better yet, because everything stays separate until I'm ready to actually make and eat the sandwich, I can prep a whole week's worth of sandwich ingredients on Sunday and save time and energy during the week.

Ham & Fontina Sourdough Sandwich

I made this for dinner last night and it was oh-so-good. Here is the Original recipe from Southern Living, which makes 4 sandwiches.

I eyeballed the ingredients for the mayo mixture to cut it down to a more reasonable amount for 1 sandwich and still have plenty leftover for a few sandwiches today and during the week. Measurements below are for 1 sandwich.

2 good teaspoonfuls mayonnaise
1 small teaspoonful pesto sauce (I use Butoni, found in the refrigerated section)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 slices sourdough bread
1 slice Fontina cheese
4 thin strips of red bell pepper
3 thin slices of deli ham
3 or 4 basil leaves
1 leaf of romaine lettuce

Stir mayo, pesto, and lemon juice together in a small bowl. Spread on both slices of bread. Layer remaining ingredients on bread to make sandwich. Cut in half and enjoy!