The occasional Philly Cheese Steak is one of the things that I sometimes miss about living in the mid-Atlantic region. The one time I had the gall to order one in a Vermont establishment it came served up on a French baguette topped in sharp cheddar cheese – tasty, but not what I would call a Philly Cheese Steak. As a kid, I would sometimes order el sandwich philadelphia at the Bolivian restaurant “Dumbo’s”. That tasty rendition of the Cheese Steak came with sautéed ground beef interspersed with copious amounts of bacon, onions, and red bell-peppers. Interesting, but slightly off the mark. I am no Philly Cheese Steak expert, but over the years I have come up with my own basic rendition of it, and earlier this week I thought this was a good and easy way to use up some of the leftover holiday roast.
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp Butter (or Olive Oil)
- 2 cups thinly sliced Roast Beef
- 1 thinly sliced Green Bell-Pepper
- 1 thinly sliced Onion
- 3 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1/4 cup Beer
- Salt and Pepper
- 4 warmed (lightly toasted) Hoagie Rolls (other softer bread rolls, like hot dog buns, will also work. I used hamburger buns this time around, since that was what I had on hand, and then I went on to over toast them. Opps!)
- 4 slices of American Cheese (If you can even call this processed stuff cheese, but you need its melty, creamy, mild, goodness to round off a true Philly Cheese Steak)
Directions:
- Melt butter in a sauté pan or a cast-iron skillet.
- Add the sliced green pepper and onion.
- Proceed to caramelize the vegetables, gradually adding the Worcestershire sauce and beer. The sugars from the Worcestershire sauce, beer, and the vegetables themselves will lend to the caramelization.
- Season the vegetables with salt and pepper.
- Add the roast beef
- Make sure that all of the liquid has cooked off.
- Place the cheese slices on the warmed bread to melt slightly.
- Place the hot steak filling onto the bread and cheese, allowing the cheese to melt even further.