Knowledge is power. As the 2018 "Dilly-dilly" Bud Light, Super Bowl commercial spiked in popularity, then filtered into the mantra for the Eagle's super-bowl victory parade in the form of "Philly-dilly", my curiosity caused me to research it -- and I'm glad I did. I'm here to report "dilly" is a real word, and, as per Merriam-Webster, it's a noun that comes from an obsolete adjective that refers to something "delightful", "remarkable" or "outstanding", which describes with perfection:
My latest take on the cheesesteak -- The Philly-Dilly.
If you have never eaten a cheesesteak sandwich in Philadelphia proper, you've never eaten a cheesesteak. Like the soft pretzel, the iconic Philly cheesesteak just tastes better in The City of Brotherly Love. Whether you're standing outside on a sticky-hot sidewalk next to a street vendor in Summer, or inside, doing the "Philly lean" over a counter in a sweaty-windowed sandwich shop in Winter, the experience, on several levels, cannot be duplicated elsewhere. Many have tried, many have come remarkably close, but everyone agrees: Philadelphia owns this sandwich.
A Philly cheesesteak is always made with high-quality, nicely-marbled, thinly-sliced, rib-eye steak. For example: This 1"-thick rib-eye would be cut, while partially frozen, lengthwise into 5-6 thin steaks. The meat gets cooked quickly, on a large lightly-greased flat-top griddle, getting chopped up as it cooks.
The flank steak, in terms of taste, texture and price holds its own next to any premium steak, plus, it's the perfect alternative for the home cook who wants to cook the steak indoors. While I occasionally pan-sear it, my favorite method is to cook it under the broiler. My foolproof broiler method takes all the guesswork out of it too.
Trust me when I tell you, my Philly-dilly's are dilly-dilly.
I'm only making one cheesesteak, in an 8" nonstick skillet today, because one is all I can eat, and, I'm on-my-own for dinner this evening. I'll make more sandwiches tomorrow, with the leftover flank steak (enough for five more cheesesteaks), when Joe gets back home. I've included my instructions for reheating leftovers in the recipe below. That said, to prepare multiple (2-4-6) sandwiches, be sure to use an appropriately-sized 10"-, 12"- or 14"-skillet to feed your family or friends.
While steak broils in the oven, onions caramelize on the stovetop.
For each 6" cheesesteak:
2 teaspoons salted butter
1/2 cup diced yellow or sweet onion
2-3 super-thin-slices deli-style provolone, or Velveeta if it's yellow cheese you crave
3/4 cup thinly-sliced rare-cooked and still-warm flank steak, prepared as directed in my recipe: Melanie's 18-Minute Perfectly-Cooked Flank Steak
choice of optional toppings: 1/4 cup mild or hot, well-drained yellow pepper rings, sautéed bell peppers or mushrooms, &/or, 2-3 tablespoons red tomato-based pizza-type sauce
1 6"-8" high-quality, semi-firm Italian or brioche submarine-shaped roll
~Step 1. Place a 2-pound flank steak on a disposable aluminum broiler pan and season with sea salt and peppercorn blend. Place 5 1/2"-6" under preheated broiler for exactly 9 minutes. Remove from oven, flip steak over (there's no need to season the second side), return to broiler and cook 9 more minutes. Remove from oven and allow to rest 9 minutes. Holding a chef's knife at a 30º angle, slice steak into thin, 1/8"-1/4" thick strips. Note: This is enough meat for six cheesesteaks. To make it ahead, wrap cooked, rested and unsliced flank steak in plastic and refrigerate overnight. Return to room temperature, about 30 minutes, then warm it (warm not hot) in microwave, about 90 seconds. Slice and proceed with recipe as written. While flank steak is broiling and resting, caramelize the onions as follows:
~Step 2. In an 8" nonstick skillet, melt butter over low heat. Add the diced onions. Adjust heat to medium, medium-high, to gently and slowly sauté, stirring frequently until onions are caramelized to desired degree of pretty brown, 16-18 minutes, regulating the heat carefully during this process. Adjust heat to low and arrange provolone slices over the onions, followed by the still-warm sliced flank steak.
If desired, sprinkle a favorite topping or two over the top of the meat to customize your sandwich to your liking. When cheese has melted, about 30-45 seconds, remove skillet from heat.
~Step 3. Place your favorite roll (split open) on a piece of aluminum foil. With the aid of a spatula, while tilting the skillet on an angle, slide/push the contents of the skillet directly into the roll, much like you would slide an omelette from pan to plate. Wrap the sandwich tightly in the foil and set aside, about 1 minutes, to give the roll time to steam/soften a bit. Using a serrated bread knife, slice the sandwich in half (a diagonal is nice), remove the foil and serve immediately.
Delightfully, remarkably, outstanding? You betcha.
It's a dilly of a cheesesteak -- It's a Philly-Dilly Cheesesteak!
My 18-Minute Philly-Dilly Flank-Steak Cheesesteaks: Recipe yields 6, 6"-8" flank-steak w/caramelized-onion cheesesteaks.
Special Equipment List: 11 3/4" x 8 1/2" disposable aluminum broiler pan w/corrugated bottom; cutting board; chef's knife; appropriately-sized nonstick skillet; spatula; aluminum foil; serrated bread knife
Cook's Note: Another take on the cheesesteak, and a favorite here in my kitchen, is my recipe for ~ Philadelphia-Style Cheesesteak-Pizza a la Mel ~. While it is luscious topped with my recipe for ~ Melanie's 18-Minute Perfectly-Cooked Flank Steak ~, I've written it with other options too.
"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti
(Recipe, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2024)
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