Grilled Steak Sandwich and "The Hurt Locker"

I have to say I love a well made and fresh sandwich. They usually consist of simple and fresh flavors and when you add a good quality bread to the mix, things just keep getting better. One night when I was in the mood for a nice grilled steak but wasn't in the mood to make any side dishes to go along with it, I came up with this recipe for my grilled steak sandwich. Slices of juicy grilled steak, fresh toppings, and a crispy French baguette made this one an instant winner in my book. This recipe might not be directly inspired by any film in particular, but to me any sandwich is good movie food. Taking a quick glimpse at my movie library, for some reason I thought the movie "The Hurt Locker" paired well with this sandwich. Total prep and cook time for this sandwich is around 20 minutes and this recipe will yield two sandwiches.


1 French Baguette (Par baked kind if you can find them)
1 New York Strip steak (About 1 pound)
1 Shallot (Sliced)
1 Tomato (Sliced)
2 teaspoons of Mayo
1 teaspoon of Dijon Mustard
A drizzle of Balsamic Vinegar
6 sliced of Cheddar Cheese
Fresh Greens like Arugula, Lettuce, or Spinach

Season the steak well with lots of freshly cracked black pepper and kosher salt. Salt and pepper is typically the only seasoning I use on my beef as they bring out the flavor in the steak. Now the best way to cook at steak is over an open flame on a grill. Mother nature had other plans for me on this particular evening so I was forced to my back up plan - my electric grill.

Grill the steak for about 4-5 minutes on each side. Rotate the steak slightly to change the directions that the grates run along the steak to create the crisscross grill marks. Once the steak is cooked, remove from the grill and allow it to rest for about 10 minutes at room temperature. If we were to slice the steak now, all of our juices inside the steak would run out onto our cutting board.

While the steak is resting, we'll prep the other items needed for our sandwich. If you're using a partially baked baguette, now is when you'll want to finish baking that to the instructions given to you on the package. A fully baked one will work fine too, but par baked breads are widely available now and I love a their freshly baked taste.

Mix together the Dijon mustard, mayonnaise, and the balsamic vinegar together to make the spread for our sandwiches. Cut the baguette in half horizontally. Place the slices of cheddar on the bottom piece and spread the sauce on the top. Slice the steak into thin slices. I like to give mine a quick dash of salt and pepper here and then place the warm steak over top the cheddar to help the cheese melt. Top the steak with the fresh greens, the sliced shallots, and the sliced tomato and cap off the sandwich with the other half of baguette. Slice the sandwich in half and serve warm.

"The Hurt Locker" was somewhat of a surprise winner for Best Picture at the 2009 Academy Awards. Most were expecting the big budget CGI filled film "Avatar" to take home the price and for that I feel this film didn't get the respect it deserved from the common audience. In my eyes, this film deserved every honor it was given.

Jeremy Renner stars as Staff Sergeant William James, the leader of a group of soldiers who hold the dangerous job of disarming bombs in the center of urban combat in Iraq. James acts recklessly as if he doesn't believe that death will catch up with him or that he doesn't fear it when the time comes. After disarming over 800 bombs, James feels in order to disarm a bomb -you must think like a bomb maker. His two subordinates Sandorn (Anthony Mackie) and Eldrige (Brian Geraghty) don't share this philopshy which causes a great deal of tension between the three men.

Chaos soon engulfs the team and they will have to come to an understanding of each other in order to continue with success at these most deadly and tense situations. The true character of James and his fellow comrades is exposed and put to the test as they learn just how dangerous and hostile the situation they've found themselves in truly is.

 "The Hurt Locker" is a powerful, intense, heartfelt, riveting, and action packed film that will stand as a classic film. Kathryn Bigelow was honored with Best Director award at the 2009 Oscars and it was well deserved. She filmed a movie that literally will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. Jeremy Renner is fantastic in his Oscar nominated performance and will go through as his break out role. This is not a film to be overlooked and I highly recommend it, Click here to watch the trailer for "The Hurt Locker."