(Really) Easy French Dip Sandwiches

When we were at the beach this past weekend with friends, we had a deli that delivers to bring us sandwiches one night. What can I say, the days of late restaurant trips to our favorite sandy beach bars have probably come to an end for the time being (so long, frozen screwdrivers). With five children five and under, it was pure heaven getting them to bed and then having six take-out boxes magically appear at our front step.

I went with one of my favorite sandwiches -- the French dip -- and I probably could have eaten two, it was so delicious. It reminded me of a really easy version of the recipe that Mom shared with me recently. So, naturally, I made this recipe for Ian and me the very next night.

(Really) Easy French Dip Sandwiches

Deli roast beef, sliced thinly (I used 1/2 pound to make two sandwiches)

Provolone cheese

Chicago rolls or hoagie rolls

1 can French onion soup

1 can beef consomme

Directions:

Heat your broiler to 450 degrees. 

In a saucepan, heat the French onion soup, beef consomme, and all of the roast beef. I heated mine about 10-15 minutes, until it was pretty hot and at a soft boil. The roast beef will get hot and nicely flavored from cooking in this broth.

Slice your rolls almost all of the way through, and place on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Using tongs, remove hot roast beef from soup mixture and layer on the bread. Reserve the remaining soup. 

Top each sandwich with provolone cheese. I also added a small slice on the top piece of bread.  

Watch carefully under the broiler, and remove as soon as the cheese is melted and golden. Add the tops to the sandwiches.

Pour the brothy soup in small ramekins for dipping. This is the perfect au jus!

Two quick notes...

I purchased half a pound of Boar's Head deli roast beef. As soon as I left the busy counter, I got nervous that it would not be enough. So, in the refrigerated meat section, I picked up a small package of thinly sliced roast beef. I was able to make our Monday night sandwiches just from that half pound of Boar's Head and did not need to rely on the pre-packaged roast beef that I had as back-up. However, I did use some of that roast beef to recreate this sandwich for lunch yesterday, and while I will say it was still really good, the freshly shaved Boar's Head was MUCH better. So -- spend a dollar or two more and get the freshly sliced stuff here.

(and yes, if you're counting, that makes three days in a row that I ate French dips ... and guess what's for lunch today? four days and counting.)

Secondly, I'm not sure if you're as curious as I was, but here goes. Beef broth vs. beef stock vs. beef consomme ... what's the diff? Let's let Martha Stewart tell it how it is.

Broth: "Broth is the liquid that remains after meat, seafood, or vegetables have been cooked in water. It may be served alone or used as the base for a light soup."

Stock: "Stock is more intense than broth, having been cooked slowly to extract as much flavor as possible from meat or fish bones and aromatics. A stock is used as an ingredient in other dishes, such as soups, stews, and sauces, rather than served alone."

Consomme: "Consomme is a clear liquid that results from clarifying homemade stock. This is usually done with egg whites. (The cloudy particles in the stock attach themselves to the whites and rise to the surface, where they can be skimmed off.) The French word means 'consumed' or 'finished,' referring to a more complete soup than a stock or a broth. Consomme is often served by itself, typically at the beginning of a meal."

For a meal that goes together SUPER easily, I could not recommend these French dip sandwiches more!