Steak and blue cheese sandwich

Ingredients:

Steak

• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil + more as needed
• 1 tbsp hot sauce
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 1 flank steak (about 1.2 kg)
• 6 elongated buns
• Baked tomatoes, recipe below
• Watercress

Onion

• 2 tbsp. l. olive oil
• 3 medium red onions, sliced ​​into 0.8cm thick rounds.
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1.5 tsp coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 0.5 tsp hot sauce
• 0.5 cups canned lightly salted chicken broth

Blue cheese sauce

• 110 g blue cheese, crumbled (about 0.5 cup)
• 1 cup mayonnaise or sour cream, or a mixture of both
• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

Baked tomatoes

• 8 ripe plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
• 2 tbsp. l. olive oil
• 4-5 fresh sprigs of thyme
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tbsp coarse salt

Preparation:

1. In a large glass baking dish, combine Worcestershire sauce, olive oil, hot sauce, and 5 minced garlic cloves. Add the steak and toss to coat evenly. Marinate the steak at room temperature for 15-30 minutes, or cover and refrigerate for 4 hours, turning the steak once or twice.
2. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and, when it begins to shimmer, add the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is browned, about 8 minutes. Then add the garlic, salt, thyme, and hot sauce and cook until the onion is soft, about 4 minutes more. Add the broth and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until all the chicken broth has evaporated, then season with pepper. Set aside.
3. Preheat an outdoor grill or grill pan over medium-high heat.
4. Remove the steak from the marinade and season 1 side with salt and black pepper. Place the steak, seasoned side down, on the grill. Grill without moving it for 5 minutes. Then rotate the steak 90 degrees (do not flip it) on the grill to create a grill mark and grill for another 2 minutes. Season the other side with salt and black pepper and flip. Continue grilling until a thermometer inserted into the meat registers 140°F (60°C), 8-10 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let the steak rest for 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, mash the blue cheese in a bowl with mayonnaise or sour cream, lemon zest, and black pepper to taste. Set aside.
6. Slice the buns in half horizontally and brush the cut sides with olive oil. Grill until golden brown on each side, about 1 minute. Rub the toasted bread with the remaining garlic clove.
7. Thinly slice the meat across the grain and assemble the sandwiches. Spread a little blue cheese sauce on each slice of bread, top with a little steak, onions, roasted tomatoes, and watercress. Serve the sandwiches warm or at room temperature.
   
   Baked tomatoes:
   
   Preheat oven to 220°C.
   
   In a large bowl, toss the tomatoes with olive oil, thyme, garlic, salt, and black pepper. Transfer them cut-side up to a baking sheet and roast until softened, about 20 minutes. Serve.