French Dip Sandwiches
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
Yield:
4 servings
Prep Time:
10 minutes
Cook Time:
25 minutes
Total Time:
35 minutes
Caramelized onions, mushrooms and Muenster cheese add extra flavor to these easy-to-make French Dip sandwiches.
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.
