Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Caramelize onions: In a large skillet over medium-low heat, add 1 Tbsp olive oil and sliced red onions. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes until deeply golden, soft, and sweet. Season lightly with a pinch of Kinder's Smoked Onion Seasoning. Remove and set aside.
- Cook mushrooms: In the same skillet over medium heat, add 1 Tbsp butter. Add sliced mushrooms and 1-2 tsp Kinder's Smoked Onion Seasoning. Saute 6-8 minutes until golden, tender, and all liquid has evaporated. Remove and set aside.
- Prep steaks: Pat ribeyes completely dry. Season both sides generously with Kinder's Smoked Onion Seasoning. Rest at room temperature 10-15 minutes.
- Sear steaks: Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in the same skillet (cast iron preferred) over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add steaks and sear 3-4 minutes per side for medium-rare (internal 130-135 degrees F). Flip only once.
- Butter baste: Flip steaks, add 3 Tbsp butter and rosemary sprigs to the pan. Cook 1-2 more minutes, continuously spooning the melted butter over the top of the steaks. Remove steaks to a cutting board, discard rosemary, and rest 8-10 minutes.
- Make the creamy sauce: In the same skillet (with all the residual fond) over medium heat, add diced shallot and minced garlic. Saute 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Sprinkle in 1 tsp Kinder's Smoked Onion Seasoning.
- Deglaze: Pour in brandy (carefully -- it may briefly flame). Scrape up all browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let reduce for 1 minute. Add heavy cream, bring to a gentle simmer, and cook 3-5 minutes until thickened to a spoonable consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Assemble: Lightly toast ciabatta rolls. Spread a generous layer of creamy sauce on the bottom half of each roll. Layer on mushrooms, then thinly sliced rested ribeye, then caramelized red onions. Drizzle more sauce over the top. Add arugula or spinach if desired. Cap with the top bun and cut in half.
Nutrition
Notes
- Patience on the onions — Low and slow is not optional. Medium-low heat, 15–20 minutes, occasional stir. If the onions are browning fast on the outside but still firm, the heat is too high. Lower it and keep going — the payoff is a deeply sweet, golden topping that no high-heat shortcut replicates.
- Dry the mushrooms first — Cremini mushrooms carry moisture. If the pan is crowded or not hot enough, they'll steam and turn rubbery instead of sautéing golden. Pat them dry, use a hot pan, give them room, and don't stir until they've started to color.
- Rest the steak fully — At 1 to 1½ inches thick, ribeye needs 8–10 minutes off heat. Cut it early and the juice runs onto the board and into the roll. Rest it properly and the slices hold together in the sandwich.
- Deglaze carefully — When you add the brandy, keep the heat at medium and pour slowly. Scrape every caramelized bit from the bottom of the pan before the cream goes in — that fond is where the sauce gets its depth.
- Non-alcoholic swap — Replace the brandy with ¼ cup beef stock plus 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce. Same deglazing result, same richness, no alcohol.
- Add cheese — Provolone or Gruyère melted over the steak slices while still warm in the pan pairs well with the smoked onion sauce. Optional, but worth it.
- Serve immediately. The steak is best warm, the sauce is best loose and pourable, and the ciabatta softens the longer it sits under everything. This is not a sandwich you plate and walk away from.
- Thin-cut fries are the natural companion. A simple arugula salad also works — the peppery bite echoes the arugula you can layer inside the sandwich itself, and keeps the meal from feeling heavy.
- Pour any extra sauce into a small ramekin for dipping as you eat. There will be extra sauce. Don't leave it in the pan.
- Store the steak, mushrooms, onions, and sauce separately in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Do not store assembled sandwiches — the rolls go soggy and the components separate.
- To reheat: warm steak slices in a skillet with a drizzle of butter over medium heat. Reheat mushrooms and onions together in a pan. Warm the sauce gently with a splash of cream to bring it back to a spoonable consistency. Assemble fresh each time.
- Don't freeze the assembled sandwich or the cream sauce. Cream-based sauces separate when frozen and don't come back together cleanly.