French Dip Sandwiches

This is my favorite sandwich - it's not fancy but it's perfect to me. My girlfriend made French dip sandwiches for us while camping this summer and they were so good I decided I would make them myself. I roasted my first roast beef recently and decided to make French dips with the leftover meat. You typically make the au jus from the drippings of the beef but my cut of meat was really lean and I didn't get enough drippings. My friend Currié gave me her recipe for au jus and I tweaked it just a bit. It was the best French dip I have ever had. The reason you ask? It's because of the caramelized onions. If you read my blog you know how much I LOVE caramelized onions. I use them as often as possible on as many things as possible. The combination of soft bread, tender meat, sweet onions and slightly salty au jus just made this sandwich over the top. All I can say is... I LOVE THIS SANDWICH.

Au jus:

• 1/2 tsp olive oil
• 1 small shallot, sliced thinly
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 -4 cups of beef broth
• 3 tsp bouillon crystals
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a small pan then add shallot once it's hot. Sauté for 1-2 minutes then add garlic. Cook for 60 seconds, stirring frequently. Add broth, bouillon crystals, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook for at least 15 minutes for flavors to combine. Taste and re-season if needed.

Sandwiches:

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 onion, sliced thick
• Salt to taste
• Roast beef, sliced as thinly as possible
• Hoagie buns

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once hot add the onions and sauté for 20 minutes or until golden brown and caramelized. Season with salt, remove from heat and set aside.

Toast the buns under the broiler in your oven. Place the roast beef into the au jus then remove after 20 seconds. Let the juices drip back into the au jus pan then place on the hoagie. Add a spoonful of onions and top with other bun. Serve with au jus. Enjoy!

Click here for a printable version of this recipe

A big thank you to Natasha at Tastorama for the Brillante Weblog Premio-2008 Award. I love Tastorama because Natasha has great recipes and beautiful pictures. Be sure to check out her blog through the link above.