Red Pepper Chipotle Cheesesteaks

Sometimes, I want to eat as much fat as possible. I want potato chips that crunch so hard that I bleed (not really, but kinda). I want cheese so cheesy that other cheeses seem like lies. I want beef so fresh and so perfectly cooked that it makes me part cow. And I want some b.e.a.utiful bread. Cheesesteaks are a perfect answer to that problem, but they don’t always come with potato chips. But these  cheesesteaks will always come with potato chips. American innovation at its fattest finest.

Honestly, something that I love about these cheesesteaks is their simplicity. Don’t get me wrong, food with 1000 different flavors that all mesh and blend and bring each other out in a devilish angel choir of impending deliciousness and obesity has its own magic. Just look at my bacon avocado quesadilla burgers. But there’s also a beauty in simple foods, quick foods and foods that impress let your deep groans of chewy satisfaction that creep out while you eat do the talking for them. These potato chip cheesesteaks are that simple kind of food. You have provolone, top round steak, potato chips and an Italian roll. That’s all there is to it. And that’s all you need.

As a native Philadelphian, I feel like I should give some tips to making the perfect cheesesteak. Tip #1: you want, nay, need your steak to be sliced THINLY. Once again — THINLY. I’m not sure where people got it into their heads that cheesesteaks need big chunks o’ meat, but it is not the way to make a cheesesteak. So cut as thinly as possible. You’ll thank me later.

Tip #2: Either put your cheese onto the meat as it’s just finishing cooking so that it melts in a most excellent fashion or put it onto the bread as you are lightly toasting it.  Cheesesteaks that aren’t cheesy are criminal.

Tip #3: Don’t overthink it. If you want to lightly season the steak to your taste, go ahead! If you want to add a specialty here or there, go ahead! But don’t think too hard or too deep about it. At the end of the day, a cheesesteak is a cheesesteak. You only get unfortunate tasting cheesesteaks when you just plain try too hard. Treat it like love — be yourself and don’t overthink it.

And there you have it! Cheesesteaks, my style. You. Will. Love. It. For real.