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Wednesday

(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!

22 comments:

  1. I am ALL about easy meals right now since standing at the counter in my kitchen for long periods of time is killing me these days! Totally making these next week! Thanks for sharing :)

    (PS....have you tried the Boar's Head London Broil at the HT Deli? It is SO good and I prefer it to the regular roast beef!)

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  2. WOW - this looks delish. If I made this for dinner, B would lovvve it. Pinning!

    Also - I have a hysterical frozen screwdriver mom moment to share with you.

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  3. These sound delicious! I love easy meals, so thank you for sharing!

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  4. These look perfect! One of my favorite sandwiches as well and delicious/fitting for fall.

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  5. Yum! My husband can't eat the french onion soup mix, but I may use au jus mix instead and somewhere I read to add a tsp of garlic and a sprig of fresh rosemary ..going to make tonight, thanks for the inspiration.

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  6. That looks delicious! We will be trying those this week, thanks for the post!

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  7. Wow! Those look amazing. Going to have to put them on the menu for next week.

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  8. Thanks for the post! I will be trying these next week!

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  9. YUM!! These look wonderful- can't wait to try them :)

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  10. Yum! I will need to try these! They sound good (and easy)!

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  11. My husband would love these!! Making them next week!! Thanks for sharing April!!

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  12. Wow! You weren't lying when you said easy! I will be trying these next week for sure!

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  13. These look delicious and so easy to make!! Definitely going to have to try these!

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  14. I'm making these next week for sure!!

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  15. I. Love. French. Dip. Ps--my favorite local places to have them: Dorian's (in Matthews, but they have homemade chips), and Phil's Deli in Strawberry Hill.

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  16. As soon as I saw this post yesterday, I texted my husband and told him we were having french dip sandwiches for dinner. And let me tell you, they did not disappoint! After dinner, he informed me that I could just make these tomorrow night too :) The only thing I did different was added a horseradish mayo. My favorite restaurant serves their french dip with a horseradish mayo and now I can't have one without it!

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  17. Wow, these would be great to have at football tailgates!!! Making them!!

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  18. Pinned these! Visiting from Penny's Passion!
    Linds @ Not A Mom

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  19. Thank you for the easy simple recipe! I made these last night for my family And they were a hit!

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