Steak sandwich with gruyere sauce and arugula dressing

Back when Michigan went to bowl games (here's hoping we've learned how to do that again), New Years Day was a great day to spend tucked into good food and football. A few years back we had Alyce, Dave, Jody and Patrick down to celebrate the calendar holiday and to join in the football watching fiesta (Michigan beat Florida that year, so there Tim Tebo!). In honor of the days events I prepared a get it when you want it meal that included soup and what I'm going to go out on a limb here and say were amazing steak sandwiches. Which brings us to the present day, where I'm desperately searching for something interesting to make for dinner that will double as lunch at work the next day. Mental archive search results in this sandwich, which hadn't graced our table since that fateful (for Florida) New Years Day. This dish looks like it has a lot of steps, but don't be intimidated, it's easy and extremely flavorful.

Ingredients

For the Bechamel

1/2 stick unsalted butter
3 heaping tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk (I substitute 1% with no flavor faults)
2 cups grated Gruyere
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish

For the Arugula Mayonnaise

1 bunch baby arugula
1/2 lemon, juiced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup mayonnaise

For the Steak Sandwich

2 soft hoagie rolls
Extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 pound New York Strip steak, grilled and finely sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the grill to medium-high.

Make the bechamel cheese sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and stir constantly to incorporate - you do not want any color. Gradually pour in the milk as you stir, and whisk out any lumps. As the mixture thickens up continue to stir until it reaches a boil - this ensures the flour is cooked completely. Dump in the cheese and stir for another minute until the cheese is completely melted. Stir in the horseradish and season with salt and pepper, then set aside to keep warm.

Creamy bechamel, just as the cheese melts

Make arugula mayonnaise. Put arugula in a food processor with the lemon juice and salt and pepper. Top with mayonnaise and process until well combined. Give it a taste and adjust seasoning if required. NOTE: I know it seems like a lot of arugula, but the mayo has a strong flavor on its own, you need the whole bunch to get the full flavor.

All the ingredients for the mayo, ready to go for a ride

The finished mayo, prettied up with some parsley

Prepare the steak by liberally seasoning it with salt and pepper.  Place the steak on the preheated grill and cook to medium rare.  How long is required to do this will vary based on the thickness of the meat and how hot your individual grill gets.  In general, it should be about 4 minutes per side.  When done, remove the steak from the grill and allow to rest, tented in aluminum foil for about 10 minutes.  At this point, preheat your broiler. Once the steak is thoroughly rested, slice thin and set aside.

Split the hoagie rolls in half, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place on a flat baking sheet and toast under the broiler until brown, one to two minutes.

To serve, smear each half of the roll with the arugula mayonaisse. Top the bottom with the steak and cheese and serve.