Blue Cheese Steak Sandwich - Crater Lake - Blue Monday

The Romantic in me could easily be persuaded that God was standing in Oregon when he created the world. We are blessed with incredible natural beauty. Crater Lake is one of the most magnificent sites in the United States. It is a favorite destination for visiting family and friends who are curious to see its blue waters. Actually, the water in the caldera is colorless and the fabled blue is the result of blue light in the sun's spectrum being scattered by water molecules before returning to the surface of the lake. I promise no more lessons in optics if you promise to put Crater Lake put it on your bucket list. It's gorgeous.

There are a limited number of places to eat in the Crater Lake area. We've fallen into a pattern of having one meal in and one meal out and the al fresco meal is, by far, everyone's favorite. We pack several salads, cheese and fruit for a cheese board, something sweet for dessert and the fixings for spectacular sandwiches that are served on incredibly good bread. Men have been sent to the moon with fewer provisions than we take for a picnic. I like to vary the sandwiches we make; the only requirement is they be uncommonly good. They are usually assembled and warmed just before eating. This steak sandwich is one I love to make for our picnics. The combination of blue cheese, roasted peppers and arugula is an undeniable treat. We warm or grill the beef just before its piled on warm, crusty rolls. Regular readers know I have a "thing" for flatiron steak and I use it whenever possible. As luck would have it, none were available for our picnic. It was time for the "mother of invention" to step to the plate. Having been called worse things, I took it in my stride. I had the butcher trim and slice a boneless rib roast into paper thin slices. The meat was seasoned and quickly sauteed in a mixture of garlic flavored olive oil and butter until it was just rare. I warmed the beef on site. It goes without saying that we used an Oregon blue cheese that just happened to be named Crater Lake Blue. I hope you enjoy this sandwich as much as we do. Here's the recipe.

Blue Cheese Steak Sandwich...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite
Ingredients:
1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
4 crusty hard rolls or bread of your choice, warm
1-1/2 pounds rare, thinly sliced steak
1 cup fresh arugula or watercress
1 cup bottled roasted red sweet pepper, drained and patted dry

Directions:
1) In a small bowl combine blue cheese, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, and vinegar.
2) Spread one side of warm rolls with blue cheese mixture. Top each with an equal portion of arugula, roasted pepper and sliced steak. Yield: 4 sandwiches.

I'm linking this to Smiling Sally for her Blue Monday event.