We frequently hosts chefs from around the world in the MUNCHIES Kitchen, where they often go full soigné and turn out Michelin star-worthy dishes like pine nut semifreddo sprinkled with pine bud extract and gelatinized pig’s blood with rhubarb foam.
Delicious, but not exactly Wednesday night meals, are they?
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So we conceived of the Workaholics column, giving chefs a little bit of breathing room to show us their skills with the kinds of meals they like to eat after a grueling shift.
Patty melts. Steamed chicken. Steak and potatoes. You get the idea.
And then along came Curtis Stone, determined to show everybody up—and boy, did he ever.
All photos by Matthew Zuras.
Behold: a steak sandwich with foie gras and fried green tomatoes.
It all started when Stone—the lauded chef behind LA’s Gwen and Maude—told us that he had some foie gras left over from an event he had cooked in New York. (Such are the benefits of being a chef.) From there, his mind went straight to tournedos Rossini, a classic dish of seared tenderloin topped with a slice of foie gras.
But then a quick stroll through the MUNCHIES Garden inspired yet another element: battered green tomatoes, which injects the hifalutin’ Frenchness of the tournedos with a bit of Southern-fried charm.
And while you might be thinking that this sounds waaaaaaay too complicated for an after-work meal, Stone had it done in less than 30 minutes. Take that, Seamless.
Here’s how it went down: First, Stone seasoned and seared a lovely chunk of flatiron steak in a grill pan, followed by a handful of scallions.
Don’t worry about getting the grill marks just right—it’s going straight into a sandwich. But Stone’s a professional, and his cross-hatch is on point.
Next comes the foie gras, into a searing-hot pan. (Now, we wouldn’t blame you if you don’t have foie just chilling in your fridge like it ain’t no thang. If that’s the case, you can feel free to omit it.)
While the foie and steak rest in their delicious, expensive juices, turn your attention to the tomatoes. Stone first tossed the thick slices in a bit of flour, then dipped them in egg, followed by a coating of Panko.
They take their turn in a pan of oil, getting fried to perfection in only a few minutes.
Wanna know the secret to taking a sandwich from fine to fucking awesome? Make your own mayo.
Seriously. It’s not hard. Stone used egg yolks, vinegar, mustard, horseradish, and a blend of two oils to whip his up in less than five minutes. Stirring in some minced chives at the very end is a pro move. Bye, Hellmann’s.
After the steak has cooled and rested, slice it up into thin strips and get ready to assemble.
First, you need a thick schmear of that mayo going down the entire length of a crusty, good-quality baguette that’s been sliced in half. (Stone upped the ante even more by stirring in some melted foie fat and steak juices once the mayo had come together.) On top of that goes a few sprigs of watercress—for colour and crunch more than anything else—followed by slices of the fried tomatoes.
Then you’ll want to carefully layer ribbons of steak, followed by the grilled scallions and little nubs of foie gras.
Top the baguette with the other half after giving it another dose of mayo.
For your final act? Stand back and admire this ridiculously delicious monster of a sandwich, because it’s about to put you to sleep for a full 36 hours.
Talk about an after-work meal. Nighty-night.
