Go Back
Print

Cheesesteak Eggrolls

These make a fantastic appetizer. Slice them diagonally in half for smaller servings, then prop them up on each other for a nice presentation.

Ingredients

For the eggrolls:

  • 3 cups chopped onion
  • olive oil
  • 10-11 thin slices of American cheese quartered
  • 2 pounds shaved steak
  • 1 package egg roll wrappers about 21 wrappers-I used Nasoya
  • salt and pepper
  • water for wrapping
  • peanut corn or canola oil for deep frying

For the horseradish sauce:

  • 1/2 cup sour cream I used light
  • 2 Tablespoons prepared horseradish slightly drained
  • dash of Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • ketchup for dipping

Instructions

  1. Heat your oil to 350 degrees F in a heavy pot or in your deep fryer. If you're using a heavy pot, try to pick a deep one that you can fill with three inches or so of oil without filling the pan more than halfway full. Use a thermometer so that you can monitor the temperature.
  2. In a large frying pan, fry the chopped onions in about a tablespoon of olive oil until they have some deep golden brown edges. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove the onions from the pan and set aside.
  3. In the same pan that you fried the onions, heat up just a bit of olive oil and flash fry the shaved steak. I had to do about four batches so that the pan wasn't over crowded. If you add too much meat, you won't brown it, you'll steam it. Each batch should only take a minute to quickly brown while leaving some pink. I salted and peppered each batch to taste.
  4. Place all of the cooked meat on a cutting board and run a knife through it to break up any bigger chunks or slices. This will make for an easier bite and easier scooping when filling the wrappers.
  5. I let my fillings cool while I made the horseradish sauce and got ready for the next step.
  6. Make the horseradish sauce by combining all ingredients in a bowl. Adjust seasonings to taste. Cover and refrigerate until serving.
  7. Get your work area ready to assemble the egg rolls. Spread out a sheet of foil and fill a small bowl of water. Get a brush to use with the water. If you don't have a brush, you can use the back of a spoon to moisten the wraps. (The photo shows waxed paper on top of the foil. I only did this to reduce the glare for photography.)
  8. Place a wrapper with corners facing north and south on your work surface. Brush top two sides lightly with water.
  9. Take a quartered slice of cheese and place it on the bottom third of the wrapper. Scoop a 1/4 cup of steak and place it on top of the cheese. Top with a spoonful of fried onions, then finish with another quarter slice of cheese.
  10. Bring the bottom corner of the wrapper up and over the filling, using it to pull back on the filling as you roll to help tighten it. Use your fingers to tuck in any stray filling that may be escaping the sides.
  11. Roll egg roll partially, then flatten sides of the wrapper against the filling. Brush flattened sides with water and wrap them up on top of the egg roll. Finish rolling until egg roll is fully wrapped.
  12. Check the temperature of your oil to make sure it's at 350, then fry eggrolls in batches being sure not to overcrowd the pan. I used a small but deep sauce pan and fried two at a time. The egg rolls are done when they are golden brown. Because all of the filling is cooked, you just want to make sure your wrapper cooks through and gets crispy while your filling gets hot and the cheese melts. If your oil is at the right temperature, this should take about 2-3 minutes, but go by how it looks, not by time. Make sure your temperature returns to 350 degrees before fry each batch. Too low a temperature and your eggrolls will absorb a lot of oil and be greasy, too hot and the wrapper will brown too fast and possibly burn.
  13. When the eggrolls are finished frying, remove them to a strainer that's been placed over a heat safe bowl so that you can drain them standing up. I find this works better than having them lie on their sides.
  14. Serve with horseradish sauce and ketchup for dipping.

Recipe Notes

* Be sure to use an oil that has a high smoke point. Some oils, like most olive oils cannot tolerate the high temperatures of deep frying. I love using peanut oil but I've used canola or vegetable oil with success. Here's a list of smoke points for your reference.

*For the steak, I used Trader Joe's Shaved Beef Steak and it worked really well because it is sliced so thin. It's super tender with no chewy bits, which is perfect for an eggroll. Ribeye is a classic choice for cheesesteaks if you end up having to have your steak shaved by the butcher, or you could also ask your butcher for a recommendation.

*Eggrolls may be stored for up to 3 days in the refrigerator or longer in the freezer and reheated in a 375 degree oven until wrapper is crispy. Turn once halfway through reheating. If you are planning to make all of them ahead of time, I would be careful not to let them get too brown while frying as you will be planning to cook them again and you don't want them to burn. If you freeze them, I would thaw them in the refrigerator before reheating in the oven. You should also be able to bake them from a precooked frozen state, but I've never tried it.

The Merchant Baker © 2015