I love American football, and I love good food. Join me on a journey of culinary delight as I explore the finest food each city hosting an NFL team has to offer. In this post, I’m sharing gridiron grub inspired by Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Philly Cheesesteak.
Home of the Philadelphia Eagles
It may be the obvious choice, but when a city can claim something as great as the Philadelphia Cheesesteak, why would you even consider anything else? It’s got meat, cheese, and bread, and it’s served hot — what more can you ask for?
I experienced true Philly Cheesesteak when I was in the city in May 2019 visiting friends. We went to Dalessandro’s where you queue out of the door to get the goods. It’s hard to beat the real thing, but I tasted the closest thing to it at Passyunk Avenue in London.
The Philly Cheesesteak
This delicious recipe comes from Natasha’s Kitchen, but I’ve adapted elements of this with easily accesible ingredients. The classic way to make a Philly Cheesesteak sandwich is with tender ribeye steak, melted gooey provolone, and caramelised onions held together by a toasted garlic butter roll.
This simple combination is the original classic as made popular on the East Coast. The Philly Cheesesteak has been modified on the West Coast to include bell peppers and mushrooms but a true “Philly” only has steak, onion and cheese served over a roll.
This recipe is one of Natasha’s easiest sandwich recipes with quick prep and even faster cooking. It is a 30-minute meal that you can cook on a griddle pan.
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ribeye steak trimmed and thinly sliced
- 1/2 tsp Sea salt
- 1/2 tsp Black pepper
- 1 sweet onion (large), diced
- 8 slices mild cheddar cheese
- 4 Hoagie Rolls sliced 3/4 through
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter softened
- 1 garlic clove pressed
- 2-4 Tbsp mayonnaise
Directions
- Slice hoagie rolls 3/4 of the way through with a serrated knife. Dice onions and thinly slice beef. For easier slicing, cover and freeze your steak for 30-40 minutes (freeze a thicker steak 40 min and a thinner steak 30 min.
- In a small bowl, stir together 2 Tbsp softened butter with 1 pressed garlic clove. Spread garlic butter onto the cut sides of 4 hoagie roll. Toast the buns on a large skillet, flat cooktop or griddle on medium heat until golden brown then set aside.
- Add 1 Tbsp oil to your pan/cooktop and sautee diced onions until caramelized then transfer to a bowl.
- Increase to high heat and add 1 Tbsp oil. Spread the super thinly sliced steak in an even layer. Let brown for a couple of minutes undisturbed then flip and season with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Sautee until steak is fully cooked through then stir in the caramelized onions.
- Divide into 4 even portions and top each with 2 slices of cheese and turn off the heat so the cheese will melt without overcooking the meat.
- Spread a thin layer of mayo on the toasted side of each roll. Working with one portion at a time, place a toasted bun over each portion and use a spatula to scrape the cheesy beef into your bun as you flip it over. Serve warm.
In fact, there’s even a video tutorial on YouTube from Natasha’s Kitchen you can follow:
Love food? For more amazing recipes like this, visit the Food and Travel section of our blog and explore the amazing food each city hosting an NFL team has to offer.
Photo credit: Natasha’s Kitchen.