Monday, October 13, 2014

French Dip Sandwiches

French Dip Sandwiches
Hi. I'd like to introduce you to my new favorite thing. (I know I say that a lot, but stay with me on this.)

It's essentially super tender shredded roast beef. On bread. With mozzarella cheese. Dipped in the juice the beef cooked in. And it's filling and comforting and SO YUMMY I COULD DIE.
French Dip Sandwiches
Like, literally. I almost died for this sandwich.

... ok not exactly.

What happened was I went to slice a baguette in half for a sandwich (my 3rd and final one from this batch, in fact) and I um...didn't have my fingers placed wisely. So I ended up slicing into my middle finger with a bread knife! Albeit a sharp Wusthof bread knife, but still. Embarassing.
French Dip Sandwiches
So then my finger was bleeeeding and bleeding and I realized this was a much deeper cut than I've dealt with in the past and I realized I might actually need medical attention. But first I called my mom, in hopes she would be like "Nah. You're cool." But she told me to call my doctor. So I did. And they said I, at the very least, should have a tetanus shot so yeah I should go to Urgent Care. So Michael left work (just 30 min. early) and came home and took me to Urgent Care (leaving a bathroom full of bloodiness in our wake) and long story not that short I ended up with 3 stitches.

MY FIRST STITCHES EVER! It was not fun. But you know what I did when I came home?

I made myself that sandwich.* And I ate it. And it was all worth it in the end.

*My mom cut the bread for me this time....just for safety.
French Dip Sandwiches
So now I'm typing this post with a bunch of gauze on my left middle finger that makes it look like a snowman. And my finger hurts. I should probably take some Tylenol. You probably didn't care about any of this and you just want to know about the sandwich. My bad.

Super tender and flavorful, falling apart, perfect roast beef that you just let cook in a crock-pot gets piled onto your favorite bread (I obtained some roasted garlic loaves of bread from Giant Eagle but you do whatever you want. Next time I'll probably go for a more straightforward kind of hoagie or some such). Then you melt some lovely mozzarella on top. And...then you top it with the other half of the bread that you sacrificed your finger for. And then you dip the bread in some of that lovely "au jus" (which I presume translates to "with juice", yes?) that is the good beefy brothy stuff the beef cooked in. And it's heaven. Perfect for this chill that's currently in the air. Perfect for a girl whose finger is hurting. Perfect for youuu.



French Dip Sandwiches

Slightly adapted from Tramplingrose

French Dip Sandwiches
Makes 3-6 sandwiches (depending on size of loaves of bread)
Ingredients:
  • approx. 3 lbs. beef chuck roast (or beef bottom round roast)
  • 2 tbsp. olive or canola oil
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 1 cup water
  • Sliced mozzarella or provolone(approx. 12 slices)
  • 3-6 sub/hoagie buns or other loaves of bread that work for sandwiches
Preparation:
  • Season both sides of roast(s) with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a Dutch oven/large pot over medium heat and, once hot, add the roast. Cook on each side until browned but not cooked through (about 4-6 minutes on each side).
  • Place the browned roast in a slow cooker and cover with the broth and water. Cook on low heat for  about 8 hours (give or take a half hour or so).
  • Remove the cooked roast from the slow cooker and shred it. Pour the liquid remaining into a bowl or measuring cup and remove any fat that floats to the top (this will get easier the colder the juice gets).
  • When you're ready to serve (this can be done all at once or 1 sandwich at a time or any combination in the middle.) preheat the broiler. Cut each loaf of bread in half and place the bottom half on a baking sheet. Top with enough meat to reasonably fill the sandwich (depends on size of bread) and then top with enough mozzarella to cover the top of the beef. Place under the broiler until the cheese is melted but not browned. Top with the 2nd half of the bread and serve with the reserved juice.
  • Leftovers: If desired you can keep whole sandwiches leftover, covered, in the refrigerator and just reheat in a microwave with a small container of the juice warmed up as well. Or you can assemble the sandwiches later by refrigerating the beef and mozzarella separately and then, when you're ready to make your sandwich, cut the bread and assemble and heat in a 300 degree oven (this will warm it up as well as melt the cheese). Serve within 3 days (best the day of!)
French Dip Sandwiches
I cannot wait to make this again!
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I love it when you try & want to share recipes you found here! Please just rewrite in your own words, use your own photos, & always link back to me! Thanks!

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