Mario Tailgates NASCAR Style Savory Roast Beef Sandwiches Serves 4 to 6 There are all kinds of ways to gussie up a roast beef sandwich: Russian dressing, coleslaw, cranberry sauce. I like this one because it's just roast beef and bread, plus a hint of steak sauce, if you so desire. Ingredients: For the marinade 1 cup red wine 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 teaspoon dried rosemary 1/4 cup packed brown sugar 1 tablespoon salt 2 to 3 pounds top round steak 8 soft rolls or 16 slices white bread Steak sauce for serving (optional) Instructions: To make the marinade: In a medium bowl, mix together all the ingredients. Place the meat in a resealable freezer bag and pour in three fourths of the marinade, making sure to coat the meat on all sides. Keep cold in a refrigerator or ice-filled cooler for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours. Reserve the remaining marinade. Remove the meat from the marinade and discard the marinade. Salt the meat and grill it over medium-low heat until it reaches 135°F on a meat thermometer for medium-rare, 14 to 16 minutes. Turn the meat several times to cook evenly and brush liberally with the reserved marinade during the last few minutes of cooking. Let the beef rest for 10 minutes, then cut it across the grain into very thin slices. Place a few slices of beef on a half roll. Rub a second piece of bread in any of the drippings and place it atop your sandwich and/or use some steak sauce. Chili-rubbed Rib Eyes Fit for The King Serves 4 It was the night before the race at the Dover International Speedway. I was cooking dinner for some of the drivers when none other but The King himself, Richard Petty, sidled over for some fixin's. He politely inquired if, instead of the penne all'amatriciana I was serving, he might be able to get a steak. Unfortunately, that evening there wasn't one around. But if he shows up again, I'll be ready. Ingredients: 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon chili powder 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Two 18-ounce rib eye steaks, cut 1 3/4-inches thick Salt Instructions: Prepare enough coals for a medium-hot fire, or set a gas grill to medium-hot. Meanwhile, combine the olive oil, chili powder, cumin, and ground pepper in a small bowl and rub the mixture on both sides of the steaks. Salt the steaks and grill them to desired doneness, turning once during cooking, 10 to 12 minutes for rare, 12 to 14 minutes for medium-rare. Let the steaks rest for 10 minutes. Cut them across the grain into roughly 1/2-inch slices, hide the ketchup, and serve. Mario Tailgates NASCAR Style . Copyright © by Mario Batali. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold. Excerpted from Mario Tailgates NASCAR Style by Mario Batali All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
