French Dip Sandwich

 

The French Dip Sandwich is a perfect weeknight meal. I don't know about you, but I've been dragging a bit since the holidays. I've been busy getting back into the swing of the spring semester, searching for a home and sorting out how to get married without having a big to-do wedding. Plus, its cedar fever time in Austin which means weeks filled with a scratchy throat, stuffed up nose and lingering fatigue. Its been hectic. So needless to say when I get home from a long day at work, I am not necessarily inspired to spend a long time in my kitchen.

But I still want to eat a warm and delicious meal. So my solution is a quick hot sandwich. The French Dip is perfect for this. Its crusty bread, good roast beef and cheese! Delicious. And I adore anything you can dip.So of course I'm a fan of dipping my crusty sandwich in au jus. And don't worry au jus is really nothing more than the beautiful juices from the roast beef. My mother adores this sandwich, as a teenager I thought this was the sort of thing you could only order in any all-American chain restaurant (you know the ones I mean), but I now its something easily made at home. The sandwich in the photo above features beautiful prime rib meat, but any good roast beef from the deli counter will work too.

French Dip Sandwich

(printable recipe)

4 good crusty rolls

1/2 pound of roast beef, thinly sliced

4 slices of provolone cheese

For the Au Jus

shallots, minced

1/4 cup red wine (optional)

2/3 cup beef stock

1 teaspoon thyme leaves

1/2 teaspoon pepper

salt to taste (a pinch)

In a saute pan over medium heat warm the sliced roast beef for just a minute. Remove and fill each of the rolls with equal parts of the beef. Top each sandwich with cheese. Set oven to broil.

Meanwhile, add the shallots to the same pan, cook until soft. Add the wine and scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the beef stock, thyme leaves, pepper and salt. Allow the sauce to reduce by about a quarter.

Once the broiler is warm. Set the sandwiches on a cookie sheet and place under the broiler until the cheese is melted. Serve along with au jus.