Philly Cheese Steaks

My husband was reading the USA Weekend insert in the paper back in June and found a "Father's Day" recipe for Philly Cheese Steak that he cut out for me to make. I was thankful that he contributed a recipe since I'm always asking him what he wants to eat but I was also eating my words because I've gotten used to being the meal chooser. I've never enjoyed Philly cheese steaks in the past because I find the meat chewy and the sandwich overfilled with cheese so I put off making them until July. This past weekend we enjoyed our first summer weekend at home just the two of us and I wanted to make Ryan something I knew he'd love. I went to the store without my recipe so asked the butcher what cut of meat would work best for Philly Cheese Steaks.  He gave me a few options but said a New York Strip Steak is by far the best for Philly sandwiches so that's what I bought, a 1 pound New York Strip.

I followed USA Weekends (June 10-12,2011 edition) recipe for the marinade and I let the steak soak in it for an hour before starting up the grill.
Marinade: 1 Tbs olive oil, 2 Tbsp A1 steak sauce, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper.

From there I decided to make my own variation since this recipe called for jarred fried peppers and I had fresh peppers from the garden. I chopped one sweet onion into thick slices, 1 green bell pepper into slices and 1 large banana pepper into slices and tossed them with a small amount of olive oil.

Next, I warmed the grill to medium high and placed the steak and veggies on a grill plate. Our piece of steak was very thick so I ended up cooking it about 5-6 minutes on each side and I kept the veggies on that whole time (be careful not to overcook the steak and remember it will keep cooking once you remove it from the grill). Our steak turned out medium which is exactly how we like it. Once your steak is cooked to your liking and the veggies look done remove the steak and veggies from the grill and thinly slice the steak.

Now, the good part. Drizzle two hoagies or brat buns with olive oil and red wine vinegar. Place on grill to toast for 2-3 minutes. Remove, layer on steak and veggies and top with a slice of swiss or provolone cheese (we used swiss) and place back on the grill until the cheese melts. Serve immediately.
*Our deli cuts cheese into 1/2 ounce slices so I used two slices per sandwich which = 1 serving of cheese per sandwich. 

Honestly, I wasn't even expecting to like these but I was so surprised because I loved them. I loved the vinegar taste on the bun and the sharp cheese taste over the mix of hot and mild peppers and perfectly seasoned and cooked steak. Definitely a recipe I will be making in again in the future and one I highly recommend for any meat lovers or steak skeptics! It was very easy to prep and perfect for hot days when you don't want to use the oven. My picture doesn't even do it justice since I didn't remember to take my camera out until the colorful veggies were topped with cheese.

Ratings: Sina: 5, Ryan: 5