This recipe uses caramelized onions, mushrooms and creamy Muenster cheese to add extra flavor to a classic French Dip sandwich. Serve with oven roasted potato wedges and cole slaw.

French Dip Sandwiches

Caramelized onions, mushrooms and Muenster cheese add extra flavor to these easy-to-make French Dip sandwiches.

Author: Lynne Webb
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

1 pound rare roast beef, thinly sliced (see notes)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, very finely chopped
8 ounces white button mushrooms, sliced
1 to 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1–1/4 cups low-sodium beef broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 thin slices Muenster cheese
4 (6-inch) hoagie rolls

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until the onions are soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper.
Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms give off any excess liquid and begin to brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the Worcestershire and continue cooking until the onions are lightly caramelized 4 to 5 minutes longer.
While the onions and mushrooms cook, preheat the oven to 375°F. Slice the rolls, open and arrange them on a baking sheet. Line each with 2 slices of Muenster cheese and bake for 5 minutes, or until the rolls are lightly toasted and the cheese has melted.
Add the beef broth to the onion-mushroom mixture and bring to a low simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, then using a slotted spoon, transfer the solids to a strainer set over a bowl. Remove the pan from the heat, add the roast beef and toss to bathe the slices in broth.
Fill each roll with a portion of the onion-mushroom mixture, then, using tongs, add the roast beef.
Divide the jus between 4 small dipping bowls and serve immediately.

Notes

About the roast beef:

You can use your favorite deli roast beef for these sandwiches, or, like us, you can cook a small eye round roast ahead of time and slice it yourself.

How to prepare an eye round roast:

Depending on where you shop, eye round roasts can range from 1-3/4 to 4 lbs. In our opinion, smaller is better for this purpose, so we chose grass-fed beef that weighed in at just over the 1-3/4 lb mark. For best results, try to find an eye round with a nice amount of marbling.

Season the roast 12 to 24 hours in advance of cooking. Combine 3/4 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon each garlic and onion powder, a few generous grinds of black pepper and 1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil (this will cover a 2-lb roast). Rub this mixture over the entire roast, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to cook.
Remove the roast from the refrigerator about 45 minutes before cooking to bring it to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 275°F.
Using an oven-safe skillet, sear the roast over medium-high heat until lightly browned, about 1-1/2 minutes per side. Place the pan in the oven and roast until a thermometer inserted into the center of the meat registers 125°F for rare.
Transfer to a cutting board, cover loosely with foil and let the roast rest for 10 minutes before slicing as thinly as possible.

French Dip Sandwiches