Foxhollow Farm Sirloin Sandwich with Bleu Cheese Dressing

It goes without saying that the longer you let beef marinate the better it gets.  So plan ahead a bit and allow the sirloin to soak in a blend of the following ingredients for two to twenty-four hours: one tbs minced garlic, the juice from one half of a lemon, one quarter tsp Foxhollow Farm red pepper flakes, one tsp Bourbon Barrel Foods Worcestershire sauce, one tbs Bourbon Barrel Foods soy sauce, one quarter tsp Bourbon Barrel Foods bourbon smoked pepper, one quarter tsp kosher salt and three tbs olive oil.  Regular soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and pepper will certainly work as substitutes but I highly recommend treating yourself to the unique and local goodness created by the folks at Bourbon Barrel Foods.

While the sirloin is marinating make the bleu cheese dressing.  I concocted this recipe several posts ago in my quest to perfect the wedge salad.  It is extra creamy and please feel free to tweak it to your liking.  A tad less bleu cheese here, a little extra cream there, whatever it takes to fit your palate.  It couldn’t be a simpler dressing to whip up either.  Simply combine the following in the bowl of a food processor: one quarter cup mayonnaise, one quarter cup cream, one quarter cup sour cream, three to four ounces of bleu cheese, the juice of one half of a lemon and one quarter tsp freshly ground black pepper.  Blend until smooth with the blade attachment and taste for seasoning.  Add a pinch of kosher salt if you think it needs a little something.  Different varieties and brands of bleu cheese offer up various levels of funk and flavor.  Add additional cheese based on your preference.  Once perfected, remove to a bowl and refrigerate, taking out of the refrigerator 15 minutes ahead of the time it will be served.

Once the steak has marinated for at least two hours, remove from the refrigerator and allow to sit out for thirty minutes so it can come to room temperature (cold steak + hot pan = no good… and yes, this is safe and no, you will not get sick).  Warm a pan over medium high heat and add one tbs of olive oil and one tbs of unsalted butter.  Once the oil and butter are hot but not smoking, add the steak and cook on one side for five minutes.  Flip and cook for an additional three minutes on the opposite side for medium-rare.  Remove to a cutting board and tent with foil.

Allow to rest for ten minutes before slicing.  Once the meat has rested slice it thinly, against the grain.

It’s almost sandwich time!  While the meat is resting, prep the remaining ingredients.  I am a big fan of ciabatta bread, it’s nook’s and crannies a convenient hiding spot for dollops of bleu cheese and delicious drippings from the Foxhollow sirloin.  Slices of raw red onion, leafy fresh arugula and minced fresh basil are added to round out the edges and to increase the oomph and bite, further highlighting the steak and dressing.  Warm the bread in the oven for five minutes (I do this on 350) and slice in half.  Slice one half of a red onion thinly and mince six to eight leaves of basil.

Slice the ciabatta in half, horizontally, and remove some of the extra bread from the top half of the loaf.  Spread a layer of the bleu cheese dressing over the bottom half of the bread and top with the steak.  Top the steak with the red onion and an additional spread of the dressing.  Next comes the basil and a healthy handful of arugula.

Top with the other half of the ciabatta and cut in half and/or into quarters.  This recipe makes two large sandwiches or four smaller servings.  As mentioned earlier, it can easily be reimagined in the form of a slider, small buns encasing the steak and bleu cheese into one or two perfect bites, or it may be served sans bread, a bright lettuce mix and arugula the fresh base for these delightful ingredients.  Whatever form it takes, I hope you enjoy this sandwich as much as I did.  Cheers!

Makes Two Large Sandwiches or Four Smaller Servings

• one to one and one quarter pound Foxhollow Farm beef top sirloin steak
• one tbs olive oil
• one tbs unsalted butter
• one loaf of ciabatta bread
• arugula
• one half red onion, thinly sliced
• six to eight leaves fresh basil

Marinade

• one to one and one quarter pound Foxhollow Farm beef top sirloin steak
• one tbs minced garlic
• the juice from one half of a lemon
• one quarter tsp Foxhollow Farm red pepper flakes
• one tsp Bourbon Barrel Foods Worcestershire sauce
• one tbs Bourbon Barrel Foods soy sauce
• one quarter tsp Bourbon Barrel Foods bourbon smoked pepper
• one quarter tsp kosher salt
• three tbs olive oil.

Bleu Cheese Dressing

• one quarter cup mayonnaise
• one quarter cup cream
• one quarter cup sour cream
• three to four ounces of bleu cheese
• the juice of one half of a lemon
• one quarter tsp freshly ground black pepper

Blend items two through eight until combined.  Place the sirloin in a large plastic bag an pour the marinade overtop.  Allow to marinate for two to twenty-four hours in the refrigerator.  Remove thirty minutes before cooking, letting the meat to come to room temperature.
While the sirloin is marinating make the bleu cheese dressing.  Simply combine the mayonnaise, cream, sour cream, bleu cheese, lemon and black pepper in the bowl of a food processor.  Blend until smooth with the blade attachment and taste for seasoning.  Add a pinch of kosher salt if you think it needs a little something.  Different varieties and brands of bleu cheese offer up various levels of funk and flavor.  Add additional cheese based on your preference.  Once perfected, remove to a bowl and refrigerate, taking out of the refrigerator 15 minutes ahead of the time it will be served.
Once the steak has marinated for at least two hours, remove from the refrigerator and allow to sit out for thirty minutes so it can come to room temperature (cold steak + hot pan = no good… and yes, this is safe and no, you will not get sick).  Warm a pan over medium high heat and add one tbs of olive oil and one tbs of unsalted butter.  Once the oil and butter are hot but not smoking, add the steak and cook on one side for five minutes.  Flip and cook for an additional three minutes on the opposite side for medium-rare.  Remove to a cutting board and tent with foil.  Allow to rest for ten minutes before slicing.  Once the meat has rested slice it thinly, against the grain.
While the meat is resting, prep the remaining ingredients.  Warm the bread in the oven for five minutes (I do this on 350 – no need to wait for it to fully preheat) and slice in half.  Slice one half of a red onion thinly and mince six to eight leaves of basil.
Slice the ciabatta in half, horizontally, and remove some of the extra bread from the top half of the loaf.  Spread a layer of the bleu cheese dressing over the bottom half of the bread and top with the steak.  Top the steak with the red onion and an additional spread of the dressing.  Next comes the basil and a healthy handful of arugula.  Top with the other half of the ciabatta and cut in half and/or into quarters.  This recipe makes two large sandwiches or four smaller servings.  As mentioned earlier, it can easily be reimagined in the form of a slider, small buns encasing the steak and bleu cheese into one or two perfect bites, or it may be served sans bread, a bright lettuce mix and arugula the fresh base for these delightful ingredients.  Whatever form it takes, I hope you enjoy this sandwich as much as I did.  Cheers!