Equipment Needed
- Large skillet
- Sharp knife and cutting board
- Mixing bowl
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper or silicone baking mat
- Tongs or spatula
Step-by-Step Instructions
We start where every great cheesesteak begins: with the peppers and onions. Heat your oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add your thinly sliced peppers and onions. Don’t rush this step—you want them to soften and get some beautiful caramelized edges, which takes about 6-8 minutes. Stir them occasionally, letting them sizzle and sweeten. I’ve learned that cooking them until they’re just translucent isn’t enough; you want them to be truly tender and sweet to balance the savory steak. Once they’re soft and golden, push them to the edges of the pan.
Now, add the shaved steak to the center of the skillet. It’s crucial to get the pan nice and hot here so the steak sears instead of steams. Break it up with your spatula as it cooks. After about 2 minutes, when it’s no longer pink, mix it in with the peppers and onions. Add the minced garlic, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cook for just one more minute until the garlic is fragrant. Be careful not to overcook the steak! It will continue to cook in the oven, and thin shaved steak can go from juicy to tough in an instant. I learned this the hard way and ended up with chewy filling. Transfer the entire mixture to a bowl and let it cool for at least 10 minutes. A hot filling will melt the crescent dough and make it impossible to seal.
While the filling cools, preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and line your baking sheet with parchment paper. Unroll the crescent dough and separate it into the 8 triangles. This is where the assembly fun begins. On the wide end of each triangle, place a small pile of the cooled steak mixture. The biggest tip I can give you here is: do not overfill. I know it’s tempting, but if you overstuff them, they will burst open in the oven and all the cheesy goodness will leak out. I’ve made that mistake, and it’s a delicious but messy tragedy. (See the next page below to continue…)