Philly Lamb Cheese Steak Sandwich

The aroma of this lamb cheese steak is so nice!
    
     Philadelphia is where cheese steaks originated.  Thinly sliced beef, provolone cheese or "cheese whiz" and onions is all that is in a regular standard cheese steak.  A list of peppers, mushrooms, tomato sauce and other ingredients are optional menu items that cost extra.
     Many Philly cheese steak shops offer a chicken cheese steak sandwich.  Chicken cheese steaks are very tasty too!  I do not think that I have ever seen a Philly cheese steak that was made with lamb instead of beef.
     I bought some paper thin sliced lamb from a butcher a few days ago to cook a couple of recipes with.  The lamb burrito recipe that I posted got a very nice reaction!  I still had about 8 ounces of thin sliced raw lamb leg left to cook.  I thought of few recipes and then the Philadelphia lamb steak idea came to mind.  The lamb leg meat was sliced paper thin, just like how raw beef knuckle roast is sliced for a cheese steak.
     Cheese steak thoughts crossed my mind.  That is not surprising, because I cooked thousands of cheese steaks in Philadelphia for a couple of years.  Nearly every restaurant in Philadelphia offers a cheese steak sandwich!
     A Philly cheese steak is a famous classic sandwich.  The cheese steak seasoning was changed to suit the flavor of the lamb meat.  Garlic was added and extra oregano was used to season this lamb cheese steak.  I also made this recipe with green bell peppers.  Bell pepper is nice with lamb.
     If you like lamb, then you will like this Philly lamb cheese steak recipe!  Lets put it this way, given a choice of a Lamb Burrito, a Lamborghini or a Philly Lamb Cheese Steak, which would be your favorite?  Undoubtably, the lamb cheese steak would get the favorite vote from anybody that has eaten a good cheese steak in the past!
    
     Philly Lamb Cheese Steak Sandwich:
     Heat a saute pan or griddle over medium heat.
     Add 2 1/2 tablespoons of blended olive oil.
     Add about 8 ounces of paper thin sliced raw lamb leg.
     Add 1/2 cup of julienne sliced onions.
     Add 1/2 cup of julienne sliced green bell pepper.
     Add 4 chopped garlic cloves.
     Add sea salt and black pepper.
     Add 3 pinches of oregano.
     Use two spatulas at one time, to tear and shred the thinly sliced lamb into small pieces, while it cooks in the pan.
     Stir and toss the ingredients occasionally.
     Grill the lamb cheese steak meat, till it becomes browned and fully cooked.
     The onions and peppers should be finished cooking at the same time.  The peppers and onions should not be darkly caramelized!
     Use a spatula to mound the meat mixture across the middle of the pan.
     Place several thin slices of provolone cheese on the cheese steak meat.
     Add 3 ounces of water to the pan.
     Cover the pan with a lid.
     Allow the steam to build up in the pan so the cheese melts into the meat mixture.
     This takes less than a minute.
     Remove the lid.
     Place an 8 inch long Italian style sub sandwich roll on a cutting board.
     Cut "V" shaped lengthwise slices into the top of the bread.
     Remove and discard the long "V" shaped piece of bread.  (Save the bread scrap for another recipe.)
     Do not cut all the way through the bread!
     Use your fingers or tongs to remove most of the bread pith and leave a thin layer of pith near the crust intact.
     Scoop the cheese steak out of the pan with a spatula and place the cheese steak mixture into the open hollowed sub sandwich roll.
     Place the cheese steak on a plate.
     Garnish the plate with parsley sprigs and pickles.
    
     Since the meat was lamb, Persian pickles are a nice choice.  The pink colored pickle is Persian pickled turnip.  The long pickle is Persian pickled wild cucumber.  I place a few pickled sport peppers on the plate too.
     The garlic oregano lamb and cheese aroma is too much to resist!  This is one great tasting lamb cheese steak!  This lamb cheese steak recipe is not lacking on meat.  Honestly, this Philly lamb cheese steak is one of the best sandwiches I have ever tasted and thats not just because I made this recipe.  This sandwich recipe is a "must try" for anyone who likes lamb!  Yummy!  ...  Shawna