French dip sandwich

When I think of classic pub fare sandwiches, I think: French dip.

Slow chunks of roast beef in a hefty bun with ‘au jus’ for dipping. Messy. Filling. Comfort sandwich.

But, too many times, the French dip on offering in pubs disappoints. I’m talking grey, grisly, dry pieces of roast beef and a thin, high sodium excuse for ‘au jus’.

Not here. Today I’m making my version of a French dip that features moist, succulent beef in a fresh, sturdy Italian roll, dipped in a beef broth that’s so well balanced, you could serve it as a cup of soup.

It starts with a quality cut roast beef. I’ve experimented with two kinds—eye of round and chuck. Believe me, chuck is far better suited to the French dip. So here’s my star chuck roast, seasoned with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Into a high heat pan with neutral oil it goes. The job is to sear all sides of this roast so that the browning of the beef adds flavour and seals in the moisture. Get out your big tongs for this 10-minute job.

Once the roast is seared on all sides, we’re going to put it into a slow cooker with veggies. Think about it as though you’re making a beef stew: here I’ve got chunks of sweet potato, celery, onion, and a bay leaf ready for action.

That’s my flavour base. Once my roast is seared, I place it on the bed of veggies and return to my frying pan. There are brown bits from the roast that I want incorporated into my stew, so I deglaze the pan with 1 cup of beef broth, scraping up all of those brown bits. It’s ready to go into the slow cooker.

Look at that golden brown broth. That’s packing a ton of flavour. To add more flavour and up my ‘au jus’ game, I pour in two more cups of beef broth, 1/3 cup tamari, and 2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar. I set my slow cooker at high heat and let that stew for 5 hours.

The stew is ready, so now it’s about building my sandwich. Remove the roast from the slow cooker and, using forks, tear it into bite-sized chunks.

I’m using a fresh Italian bun from my local Italian grocery provider, Mia Casa. Pile the beef into the bun, skim the fat off of the broth, then ladle broth into a cup, and dip away.

A hearty, rich broth that is so good, you’ll keep dipping with every bite. And you’ll wonder why you order French beef dip in a pub forever more. Lots of good leftovers for more sandwiches, too, or turn the broth and beef into a beef barley soup. Old school comfort. Also, an easy way to feed a crowd.

— Trish Hennessy