New York Strip Steak Dinner Sandwich

The New York Strip Steak Dinner Sandwich is a true masterpiece. Trapped inside ciabatta bread this sandwich is an adventure through flavors and textures. The New York strip, which is cast iron seared, is the cut to get because of its fine marbling and sexy, beefy flavor. Searing it in a screaming hot, cast iron skillet means that the steak is covered by a caramelized crust that makes the steak irresistibly tender, yet satisfyingly chewy.

What is a New York Strip steak?

The New York strip steak is a cut of beef from the short loin. It’s a tender cut that has very good marbling and is known for it’s flavor. It consists of a muscle that does little work, the longissimus, making the meat particularly tender, although not as tender as the nearby ribeye or tenderloin.

The NY strip is versatile because of its juiciness. You can grill, broil or even pan-sear this steak. The strip doesn’t need to much flavoring because of it’s natural tenderness after being cooked. Some people use only salt and pepper as seasoning, while others prefer to use marinades or a rub.

A New York Strip is probably the best-grilled steak. The “New York” in the name is a bit cryptic. It’s not clear why it’s called that, but some sleuths suggest it’s because of high popularity in New York City steakhouses.

The sandwich starts with the steak, as it should. This one’s thick and crusty all over, with a rosy interior that still bleeds just a little, like a good steak should. Then there’s the spinach. Creamed is the way to go here. The spinach is tender and then bound with a creamy, garlicky sauce that coats each leaf, fighting fire with fire, richness with richness. The spinach is a wonderful, velvety counterpoint to the chewy steak. The garlic’s lacing bite and the cream’s plushness ensures that the spinach truly stands up to the steak.

No gourmet sandwich would be complete without the sweet complexity of caramelized onions. Slowly cooked until they’re deep amber in color, these thick sliced onions add a layer of sweetness that complements the savory steak and rich spinach. Anyone who has ever caramelized onions knows that it’s an exercise in patience. Sharp, pungent, and demanding to start, the onions eventually soften and sweeten through the process, becoming meltingly tender, with a deeply delicate taste that bridges the flavors of the steak and spinach and brings the whole sandwich to a harmonious zenith.

Holding all of the components in this sandwich is a tangy mustard aioli. Constituted by a Dijon mustard base, mixed with mayonnaise, fresh lemon juice, garlic and a touch of Worcestershire sauce, this aioli offers a bright, tart contrast to the heavy ingredients already mentioned above. The creaminess of the aioli is the perfect match for the richness of the steak. It’s the winning touch that takes this sandwich from amazing, to mind blowing.

What holds all this together? The ciabatta bread, with its robust crust and airy, porous interior. Toasted until it’s crisp on the outside and soft and warm within, it provides enough body to build your sandwich on and enough give to mash your teeth into it with no risk of dislodging any fillings or losing any of the rich juices. And, while it has a flavor of its own – sturdy but mild – it’s there not so much to upstage as it is to unite the flavors of what’s inside and help them make sense together, so that nothing is out of place or balance.

The New York Strip Steak Dinner Sandwich is more than the sum of its parts. It’s a bold statement in the world of sandwiches, a dish that refuses to compromise on quality or flavor. It’s a steak dinner reimagined, a portable feast that brings together the best of both worlds: the heartiness of a steakhouse meal and the casual ease of a sandwich. Each component, from the seared steak and creamy spinach to the caramelized onions and ciabatta bread, plays a crucial role in crafting a dish that’s both complex and cohesive.

The New York Strip Steak Dinner Sandwich is a joy to eat. It’s about celebrating flavors, textures and the joy of eating itself. To me, it’s a reminder that you don’t need the trappings of a plate to eat great food. Some of the most memorable meals in life are those that you can hold in your hands. This sandwich is a simple testimony to the fact that with good ingredients, thoughtfully assembled with a little bit of care, every day eating can be as extraordinary as any holiday spread.

New York Strip Steak Dinner Sandwich

5 from 3 votes

Course: MainsCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Medium

Servings

2

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Total time

1

hour 

The NY Strip Steak Dinner Sandwich is a gourmet delight, featuring cast iron-seared NY strip steak, creamy spinach, sweet caramelized onions, and a zesty mustard aioli, all nestled within a toasted ciabatta bread for a luxurious blend of flavors and textures.

Ingredients

• For the Seared New York Strip Steaks

• 1 pound 1 New York Strip steaks

• 2 tablespoons 2 extra virgin olive oil

• 1 tablespoon 1 salt

• 1 tablespoon 1 ground black pepper

• 3 sprigs of 3 rosemary (optional)

• 2 cloves of 2 garlic, smashed (optional)

• 2 tablespoons 2 unsalted butter (optional)

• For the Sandwiches

• 2 2 ciabatta rolls

• 4-5 slices of 4-5 seared New York strip steak

• 2 tablespoons 2 mustard aioli

• 1/2 cup 1/2 creamed spinach

• 1/2 cup 1/2 caramelized onions

• For the Mustard Aioli

• 1/2 cup 1/2 mayonnaise

• 2 tablespoons 2 Dijon mustard

• 1 clove 1 garlic, minced

• 1 tablespoon 1 lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon 1 Worcestershire sauce

• For the Creamed Spinach

• 2 cups 2 fresh spinach

• 1/2 cup 1/2 heavy cream

• 1/2 cup 1/2 cream cheese

• 3 cloves 3 garlic, minced

• 2 tablespoons 2 unsalted butter

• salt and pepper to taste

• For the Caramelized Onions

• 2 large 2 yellow onions, thick sliced

• 2 tablespoons 2 extra virgin olive oil

• 1 teaspoon 1 salt

Directions

• Prepare the Mustard Aioli:
• In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce. Mix well and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
  
• Make the Creamed Spinach:
• Blanch the spinach in a large pot of boiling water for 2 minutes. Place in a cold water bath to stop the cooking process. Once cool, chop. In a saute pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant. Add the heavy cream. Simmer for 5 minutes, allowing it to thicken. Add the spinach and cook until wilted. Add the cream cheese, season with salt and pepper, and stir until the mixture thickens. Set aside.
  
• Caramelize the Onions:
• In a cast-iron skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the sliced onions, season with salt and pepper, and cook slowly until they become soft, golden brown, and caramelized. This may take 30-45 minutes. Set aside.
  
• Sear the New York Strip Steaks:
• Allow the steaks to come to room temperature before searing. Season the steaks with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in the same cast-iron skillet used to caramelized the onions over high heat. Once the skillet is hot, add the steaks.
  
  Sear for about 4-5 minutes on each side for medium-rare or until desired doneness is reached.
  
  [Optional] After flipping, add the butter, garlic, and rosemary to the skillet. Spoon the melted butter and over the steak as it finishes cooking.
  
  Remove from heat and let the steaks rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing.
  
• Assemble the Sandwiches:
• Slice the ciabatta rolls in half. Spread a generous amount of mustard aioli on one or both sides of the rolls. Lay the sliced steak on the bottom half, followed by the Swiss cheese. Then layer on the creamed spinach and caramelized onions. Top with the other half of the ciabatta roll.