Steak, Rocket and Red Onion Sandwich with Real Chips

A steak sandwich is very often served on its own, either as a lunch dish, or perhaps even as an impromptu snack. Equally, however, a steak sandwich can make an excellent dinner when served in this fashion with real chips and does not take overly long to prepare. Also, when making a steak sandwich such as this, it is the cheapest cut of steak which should be used and nothing as elaborate as fillet or sirloin.

The recipe for making the chips which accompnay the steak can be found on several locations on this blog or simply by clicking here. I will therefore provide below instructions only for cooking the steak sandwich.

Ingredients (Serves Two, along with the Chips)

1/2lb slice of steak (often sold as sandwich steak)
12" French style stick loaf
1/2 red onion
Generous handful of fresh rocket leaves
2 tbsp horseradish sauce
A little sunflower oil for frying

Method

Although using a steak mallet would be akin to sacrilege on a piece of quality steak, tougher and cheaper cuts of steak which we are going to use for making sandwiches can well do with a bit of a beating prior to cooking. The fibres in the flesh are much tougher than in quality cuts of steak and even proper cooking and resting procedures can do with a little assistance in breaking them down. A reasonable amount of force (don't overdo it!) should therefore be used to pound the steak evenly across its entire surface.

A little sunflower oil should then be added to a non-stick frying pan and brought up to a very high heat. The steak of course can also be grilled or griddled, in which case it should be the steak which is lightly oiled. The steak should then be fried - depending upon its thickness - for around a couple of minutes each side.

While the steak is cooking, the bread stick should be halved in two horizontally and the horseradish sauce spread evenly over each half. The rocket leaves should then be added to the bottom half of the roll.

When the steak is cooked, it should be removed from the pan, set on a warmed plate and covered with foil to rest for a couple of minutes. The red onion should then be sliced and the pieces quickly fried in the juices of the steak.

The rested steak should be cut to size as required and the pieces placed atop the rocket leaves, with the hot onions added last of all. The top may then be added to the bread, pressed down firmly and sliced in half to be served with the hot chips.

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Pork and Leek Sausages and Mash with Red Onion Gravy Recipe

Sausages and mash is a very common dinner in the United Kingdom. The problem is that, unfortunately, the quality of the sausages more often than not leaves a lot to be desired. Usually, they are made with bits of the animal carcass which people would never otherwise eat, as well as a whole host of artificial chemicals and preservatives.

The sausages which I am using in the preparation of this recipe are of very high quality and high meat content, made with free range, organic pork and leeks and, although more expensive than the supermarket budget sausages described above, were priced at a level which should be well within the budget of the vast majority of people.

Ingredients (Serves Two)

6 free range, organic pork and leek sausages
1lb of potatoes
1 large red onion
1oz unsalted butter
1/4 pint of fresh chicken stock

Method

Add a little sunflower or vegetable oil to a non-stick frying-pan and put on as low a heat as possible. Add the sausages and cook for one hour, turning frequently. Note that sausages should never be pricked prior to cooking them as this allows all the juices and thus the flavour to escape. Cook them extremely slowly in this fashion and they will not burst.

When the sausages have been on for about half an hour, put your peeled and chopped potatoes in to a large pan of salted, boiling water and simmer for the remainder of the sausages' cooking time.

Next, peel your onion and slice it across ways to a thickness of about 1/8", so that each slice can then be separated carefully in to rings. Gently melt the butter in a non-stick pot or pan and add the onion rings. Heat on a medium heat for about five minutes, stirring regularly, until the onions begin to sweat and take on a transluscent quality. Turn down the heat and simmer gently for about fifteen minutes, stirring frequently. Then add the chicken stock and simmer for a further five to ten minutes.

It then remains only to drain and mash the potatoes with a little butter and plate up your delicious, healthy option bangers and mash.

If you are for any reason having trouble getting the quality of sausages you desire, why not make your own? You may be very surprised as to how easy it can be!