1 lb very thin london broil or flank steak
marinade:
1/4 cup olive oil
juice of one lemon
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon oregano
fresh ground pepper
Toppings:
lettuce
tomato
mushrooms
onions
hot peppers
rolls
Directions:
Combine all of ingredients for the marninade in a ziplock bag. Add the meat, seal and marinate for 2 hours. Meanwhile, slice tomatoes, onions, peppers, mushrooms and set aside. To caramelize onions: heat about 2 tablespoons of oil. Add onions and saute about 20 minutes or until they are brown and translucent. Add mushrooms to the mushrooms towards the end if desired. Remove the onions/mushrooms to a bowl and fry the steak in the same pan you cooked the onions in, until no longer pink, adding a bit of olive oil if needed. Assemble your cold toppings on the homemade rolls. I like to create a barrier for the meat by lining one side with tomato, and a thin layer of mayo on the other, which keeps the sandwich from getting soggy*. 
and top with the steak and then the onions/mushrooms. Serve very hot and with lots of napkins.
*I like to be very scientific when it comes to my sandwich making. You should see my BLTs.
My thoughts:
Growing up in Baltimore, I called these types of sandwiches subs. My husband, growing up in NYC called them heroes. In New England, they call them grinders. New Orleans natives call similar sandwiches po’ boys. Some old fashioned terms for the sandwich are submarine (where my term, sub comes from), torpedo, wedge, cosmos and zep (as in zeppelin). My favorite kind of sub is the cheesesteak but I don’t use the icky Cheez Whiz that is required for a truly authentic Philly-style cheesesteak. The rare times we get get takeout subs, I generally get provolone, but at home I use very thin slices of extra sharp cheddar. My favorite toppings are caramelized onions, mushrooms and thinly sliced tomatoes but no lettuce. Lettuce gets a bit wilted and soggy from the heat of the steak and if you are eating out, it is generally just shredded iceberg anyway. While I enjoy the occasional takeout sub, the ones you make at home are so much better, less greasy, much better steak and crispier rolls.
God that looks sooooooooooo good! You’ve got me craving now – and it’s one of the bad ones where I won’t be able to function properly until I get what I want. lol I just bought a whole beef tenderloin and now I know what I’m going to do with the tail – Yay!
Despite being a Bostonian…I always call ’em Subs!
I’m from Boston too, and I’ve always called them subs. Although, when others call them grinders, I know what they mean. My in-laws are from South Boston (when they lived there, it was a working-class Irish neighborhood on the waterfront, south of downtown) and they called them “spuckies”. That’s a very very local word, though 🙂
Danielle-Spukies! I have heard of that too, I was going to post it but thought it was too obscure. I wonder if it derives from “sputnik”? So many names have space/underwater origins.
Oh my…that looks so good! My husband would go nuts for one of those.
Yeah, grinders… it’s only used in like, Connecticut, and that’s not really New England.
And don’t ever try to suss out the etymology of “spuckie” — Southie has (or had) its own impenetrable language.
This looks so freaking good! yum. thanks for the recipe.
*everyone in denver calls subs, sandwhiches. weird.
Warm sandwiches are one of my favorite meals! I call them subs, too. And ditto on the cheez whiz. I cannot stomach that stuff. Cheddar and provolone are my faves.
yum! this is a trend for steak sammy’s online. i think this is the one that broke me down. now i have to make one too 🙂
I’m from new england, i’ve heard all the terms for subs, but everyone i know calls them subs, noone says grinders around here lol.
Just made this using the Sub roll recipe you posted, it came out great! *drool* i’ve always made my steak and cheeses with just unmarinated steak, mayo, cheese, and onions saute’d for about 1min. always came out decent but this recipe was great, and the homeade subs just made it perfect.
Thanks again!