Ingredients

  • 1 loaf hearty country bread, unsliced
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
  • 1 (3 pound) boneless beef round steak, 2 inches thick
  • 1 onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
  • 1 clove garlic, minced, or to taste
  • salt to taste
  • ground black pepper to taste
  • garlic salt to taste

Method

  • Cut a thick slice from the top of the loaf for a lid; use your fingers to pull the bread center out of the crust, leaving a thick shell. (Save the removed bread for another use.)
  • Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large, heavy skillet over high heat until the oil is slightly smoking; lay the beef round steak into the hot skillet, and cook until the outside of the meat is browned and crusty and the inside is your desired degree of doneness, 5 to 8 minutes per side for medium-rare. Remove the steak, and set aside.
  • Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in the skillet, and cook and stir the onion, mushrooms, and garlic until the onions are translucent and the mushrooms have given up their juice, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside.
  • Lay the cooked steak into the hollowed-out bread loaf, and pile the onions, mushrooms, and garlic over the steak. Replace the bread "lid," and wrap the whole loaf in aluminum foil. Place the loaf onto a baking sheet; place a heavy flat weight on top of the loaf, such as a board or a heavy skillet, and weight the top with several bricks or jars of water.
  • Place the loaf with its weights into the refrigerator, and chill and press the sandwich for at least 6 hours. To serve, bring to room temperature, and cut off slices of the loaf.