Steak & Potato Barbecued Grilled Cheese

Let’s start off by saying WOOOOOOWWW. This latest grilled cheese creation is absolutely amazing and dare I say the best one yet?? First off, I grilled it on the barbecue, so that alone is a game changer, and second, it contains amazing ingredients from my previous grilled cheeses like potatoes, chives and caramelized onions, but adds juicy steak and provolone cheese into the mix! Seriously, this is like a steak sandwich on steroids! The idea came about while at work, as I was discussing my next grilled cheese prospect with my co-worker and friend of many years, Brett T. I had decided my next creation was going to be a barbecued grilled cheese, when Brett threw it out there…STEAK & POTATO GRILLED CHEESE.

The room was silent.

Not really…But I knew this was going down as soon as possible. The wheels started turning as I began envisioning how this behemoth of a grilled/BBQ’d cheese sandwich was going to come together, here is what I came up with.

Steak & Potato Barbecued Grilled Cheese

• 1 Top Sirloin Steak
• Provolone Cheese
• 1 Potato
• 1 Green Onion Stalk
• Butter
• Garlic Salt
• Salt & Pepper
• Olive Oil
• Yellow Onion
• French Bread

Start off by taking your steak out of the fridge (if it’s in there), patting it dry with a paper towel, brushing with olive oil and salt and peppering to taste. Allow it to warm to room temperature for 30-45 minutes. While you are waiting for your steak to warm, start getting your other ingredients together. Evenly slice your potato (I used a White Potato), toss them in some olive oil, with a little bit of garlic salt, and salt and pepper to taste.  Cut a slice of onion and start caramelizing it in a pan on medium-low heat with some butter. Next, slice the provolone (I used three fairly large slices), bread and chives.

Once your steak is about at room temperature, start your barbecue and let it heat on high for a few minutes. Once it’s heated up, reduce it to medium-high heat, place your potato slices directly on the grill along with your steak. Cook the steak for about 3-4 minutes per side, you want it rare to medium-rare, as it will cook further once you grill your sandwich. Once the steak it done, put it on a plate and allow it to rest for 10-15 minutes before thinly slicing against the grain of the meat (this maximizes tenderness!). While your steak is resting, watch your onions and potatoes. The potatoes should take around 20 minutes to cook, so flip them after about ten minutes, or once they start browning.

When everything is finished cooking, butter each side of your bread, sprinkle some garlic salt on the inside of both slices and put the provolone on each side as well. On your bottom slice, sprinkle your green onion, layer the potato, your steak slices and top it all off with the caramelized onions and your top slice.

After forming your sandwich, place it on the grill, allowing it to cook until grill marks begin to form and the sandwich starts browning, flip it over cooking until browned and toasty! If you find your barbecue is cooking the sandwich a little too fast, or you’re scared of burning the sandwich, feel free to turn down the heat to medium.

That’s all! Slice in half to reveal all its glory and chow down on this seriously amazing sandwich.

This definitely will not be the last time I barbecue my grilled cheese! I was worried that it might burn the bread, or become too crispy, but the end result was bread that came out almost light and fluffy, while still having a great crunch on the exterior. Adding the potatoes into this sandwich proved to be an awesome idea, not only for their flavour, but they soaked up all the juices from the steak, keeping the bread from getting soggy and trapping more of that juicy steak flavour in the sandwich! Top it all off with the savoury and sweet caramelized onions, complemented by the bite of the green onions, all wrapped in gooey provolone cheese…I can hardly contain myself just writing about it! I need another one!

Bob