Sandwich with a lot at ‘steak’

‘‘ EVEN SOMETHING AS HUMBLE AS A STEAK SANDWICH IS SUBJECT TO RULES.

WHEN it comes to cookery there is a vast chasm between theory and practice. The same probably holds true for most crafts, but in food you can truly taste the difference.

Take a steak sandwich as an example. In theory it really should be one of the simplest dishes to prepare. After all, its essence is straightforward – some grilled beef, a little bread and a miscellany of other elements for flavour.

Yet even in the best kitchens elementary dishes like this are routinely shambolic.

Not for a lack of care or culinary conviction, but simply owing to an absence of logic. Because if you truly want to master recipes of any kind, from basic to gourmet, then a proper understanding of the systems and procedures underpinning them is essential.

Even something as humble as a steak sandwich is subject to rules. Specifically, two rules about functionality.

Its most common fault is in planning. All too often a steak sandwich is just plain difficult to eat.

This is not simply about the dental dilemma of rubbery steak or shirt-staining perils of drippy sauce (both of which are pet hates of mine) but rather it’s chiefly about marrying the texture of the filling and the bread.

For a sandwich to work, each bite should be ergonomic. To this end, tough beef cannot match with soft white bread. But equally, tender meat is inimical with chewy sourdough.

In the first case the bread falls apart, leaving your meal in your lap. In the second, your experience of the steak falls deeply into the background, rendering the dish irrelevant.

A secondary fault is the mistake of melting layers of cheese on to the meat much as you would for a burger. In this circumstance the cheese acts as glue and your first bite ends up dragging the entire steak out of the bun.

The answer is elegantly simple. Melt the cheese on to the bottom slice of bread, permitting every bite to be a symphony of flavour and texture.

STEAK SANDWICH serves /4

4 x 125g rump steaks, pounded

1 tsp celery salt

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce 2 brown onions, sliced 2 cloves garlic, minced 8 slices bread 4 slices vintage cheddar cheese 4 cups salad leaves Aioli, to serve

1. Season the steaks with celery salt, then rub with half the olive oil. Cook on a hot ribbed griddle or barbecue for 6 minutes, turning several times, until medium. Drizzle with Worcestershire sauce, then set aside to rest.

2. Meanwhile, fry the onions and garlic in the remaining olive oil for 5 minutes, until browned.

3. Toast the bread slices, then melt the cheese on to half of them. Top the cheesy bread with salad leaves, carved steak, onions and aioli.