Philly Cheesesteak Loaded Baked Potatoes

Holy loaded potatoes! I took all the amazing stuff you put in a Philly cheesesteak and piled it into tender baked potatoes! Perfectly pink skirt steak (marinated in the MOST amazing, smoky marinade), caramelized onions and two kinds of cheese, one sharp, one melty. On the side? Ketchup and hot peppers! Dang this is AWESOME!

Oh, and these are gluten-free too! No bread means no gluten!

About the steak: I used skirt steak this time because I wanted to marinate, grill and thinly slice a perfectly pink slab of meat. You can use any beef cut of choice, but I suggest a cut with some marbling (fat) so the meat stays moist and juicy. Ribeye is more traditional and it has the ideal amount of marbling; the fat actually bastes the steak as it cooks - increasing flavor and ensuring tenderness. 

About the potatoes: The trick to perfectly baked potatoes? Rub them with olive oil first and DON'T PRICK them! Roast them directly on the oven rack for 50 to 60 minutes, until they give with gentle pressure. Easy breezy! And, since you reheat the potatoes once they're stuffed with steak, onions and cheese, you can bake them up to 8 hours in advance and keep them at room temperature (refrigerate them if you plan to wait longer; they'll keep up to 24 hours before stuffing and reheating).

Philly Cheesesteak Loaded Baked Potatoes

4 baking potatoes, such as Idaho or russet, scrubbed clean
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for coating the potatoes and brushing the grill pan
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 1/2 pounds skirt steak (see note above)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced onion (or more if you like a LOT of onions)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Fresh parsley leaves for serving, optional
Hot peppers for serving
Ketchup for serving

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Rub the potatoes all over with the olive oil and place them directly on a center oven rack. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the potatoes are tender when you squeeze them gently. Remove the potatoes from the oven and set aside. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees.
Meanwhile, to prepare the steak, in a large shallow dish, combine the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, garlic powder, and onion powder and mix well. Season the steak with salt and pepper. Add the steak to the marinade and turn to coat. Marinate for 20 minutes (and up to 24 hours; when marinating longer than 1 hour, refrigerate the steak, then pull it from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking).
To prepare the onions, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until golden brown and tender, about 6 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently (if they are getting browned too quickly, reduce the temperature to medium-low).
Season the onions with salt and pepper and set aside.
To cook the steak, brush a stovetop grill pan or griddle with olive oil and preheat to medium-high. Add the steak to the hot pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium-rare, or slightly longer for more fully cooked meat.
Remove the steak from the pan and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Slice the steak, across the grain, into very thin strips.
Using a sharp knife, halve each potato lengthwise and transfer the potatoes to a shallow baking dish. Stuff the potatoes with the steak and onions, and then top them with the two cheeses.
Transfer the potatoes to the oven and bake for 5 minutes, until the cheese melts.
Serve with hot peppers and ketchup.

Serves 4