Radish-and-Onion-Topped Steak Sandwiches

I haven’t been getting enough sleep. In fact, I can’t remember the last time in my life where I did get the recommended amount of sleep, which tends to be around six hours. I’m thinking it was probably sometime in middle school, before the piles of AP homework kept me up or long nights on the phone or a job or the ever-present worry, disregarding the four kids I had in there.

And while this post here isn’t about sleep and worry, it is about radishes and how adding them to your steak sandwich will change your life. Maybe if you have been sleep deprived like me, you’ll start sleeping. You’ll sleep a full eight hours, rising revived the next morning. (Does that really happen?) And if you’ve been down, radishes, people – radishes will make the world look brighter…or at least your sandwich will be brighter. Okay. So, probably not, but it is pretty freaking good.

Steak sandwiches are one of my favorite ways to reuse leftovers because they don’t really feel like you’re eating leftovers. Of course, I said that about fried rice, too. I’ll have to think some more on that. Life can be confusing when you don’t get enough sleep after all.

For my sandwich I started with a lovely bunch of Easter egg radishes that Ole brought home from the organic farmers market at his work. Yes, there is an organic farmers market located feet from my husband’s desk. Sure enough, he does take photos of the sign where it lists what’s available so I can tell him what I want. Yes, I realize this makes me spoiled. I like it. (Note: I’d rather lazily walk around the farmers market at 6:00 a.m. before the crowd shows up, taking my dear sweet time, but that hasn’t happened since we got married.)

To the radishes add an equal number of onions, and while you’re at it, slice off a few thick slices of sharp cheddar.

Next, toss the vegetables on a flat griddle over a medium heat to get them started cooking.

Chop your leftover steak into thin strips. This happens to be remnants of a porterhouse steak (part of Roundy’s Black Angus by Swift line at Rainbow*) that we had grilled earlier in the week. If I’m being honest, this was in June. It is now August. How did that happen, and where did July go? It’s not like I slept through it.

Toss the meat up on the griddle with the vegetables, which should just be starting to sweat, and butter a large loaf of bread…or a small bun. We make steak sandwiches on whatever bread is lying around the house, and twin French loaves won here.

Toast your bread on the griddle next to the meat and the vegetables.

When your vegetables are tender and your meat is nice and hot, top the meat with the cheese.

Then top the cheese with the vegetables to act as a lid to aid in melting. Plus, your sandwich will stick together better.

Move your layered meat to the grilled bun and behold the best leftovers (on a bun) you could ask for. In a bowl? Go for the fried rice. On a bun, the steak with a spicy radish to change your life.

The oft overlooked radish is present here, but it doesn’t overwhelm. It adds a bit of complexity to your favorite steak and cheese.

*We were provided with a gift card to try out the new Roundy’s Black Angus Beef by Swift Beef at our local Rainbow Foods store, which happens to be just two blocks from our house.