Culture

With more grunt than a humble ham sandwich but requiring little in the way of preparation, these steak sammies will quell that gnawing hunger. Flash-fried schnitzel simply flavoured with garlic and salt is the foundation of this stomach satisfier. It’s ideal because it’s relatively cheap and cooks quickly. Eye fillet cooked medium-rare and sliced would be my first choice, but let’s face it, meat that sells at over $30 per kilo is an unrealistic extravagance. For me, living in a five-person flat sees everyone take their share of the evening cooking. The exception is Dunedin’s OTP nights, namely Thursday and Saturday. I’ll freely admit that I’ll more often than not choose to curl up with a steaming mug of tea and a block of macadamia chocolate and peruse food blogs on said OTP evenings rather than braving the cold and actually socialising. Point is, if no one feels like cooking a full meal on a Saturday night, these are perfect to whip up individually and provide a good foundation for a boozy evening if that’s how the night unfolds. Uncomplicated and thoroughly satisfying, mate.

Ingredients

• 1 tsp rice bran or canola oil
• 1 piece beef schnitzel
• Salt
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 red onion, sliced
• 2 thick slices white or soy and linseed bread
• 4 slices cheese, such as a sharp cheddar
• 4 slices tinned beetroot
• Small handful mixed greens
• Liberal squirt of aioli, or tomato relish

Method

01 | Heat the oil in a preferably non-stick frypan until very hot.

02 | Meanwhile, peel the garlic clove and slice in half horizontally. Rub the cut side of the garlic over both sides of the schnitzel. Sprinkle the schnitzel with a small pinch of salt. Fry for 1 1/2 minutes each side, pressing down gently with a fish slice to prevent it curling at the sides. If you’d rather have red onion that is soft and slightly subdued in flavour in your monster sandwich, then add it to the pan before you cook the steak. Otherwise slice it finely and use it fresh for extra bite.

03 | Toast the bread as you cook the steak.

04 | Between your slices of toasted bread, layer the cooked schnitzel, cheese, beetroot, red onion, and mixed greens. Finish it off with a squirt of aioli (for garlic lovers) or tomato relish. Carefully slice in half diagonally for that wanky café feel.

Makes one totally boss steak sammie. Increase quantities to feed as many hungry scarfies as necessary.

Photo by James Stringer