Thursday, September 15, 2011

French Dip Sandwiches au Jus


Like many couples, Stan and I have different ideas about what makes a good meal.  I take more of the foodie approach.  I like variety; I want different flavors and colors and textures.  I like to try new things – even when they take a long time to make and turn our kitchen into a disaster.  I like the process almost as much as the eating.  I also think vegetables are a necessary component of every (non-breakfast) meal. 


Stan, on the other hand, is more of a stereotypical man.  He sees food as fuel.  To him, trying new recipes and experimenting in the kitchen merely delays getting food on the table – and leaves more dishes to wash.  He most certainly does not consider vegetables a necessary part of any meal.  Stan likes meat.  With a side of meat.  And some potatoes.  And ideally, some bread for dipping. 


Considering our different approaches to eating, I feel pretty lucky that Stan will eat pretty much anything I put in front of him, including vegetables.  Since he eats kale, broccoli, asparagus, zucchini, and other assorted green food on a regular basis, I like to “reward” him from time to time with a “man meal”.  Like French Dip Sandwiches au Jus. 


When I told Stan I was going to be making French Dip Sandwiches for dinner, he actually got excited about food.  (This is rare unless we’re talking about Doritos.)  When he came home the next night and I was shredding the beef, I actually had to kick him out of the kitchen so he wouldn’t eat all of it before I had a chance to turn it into sandwiches.  (I felt a little guilty about that since I couldn’t stop snacking on the meat myself.)  And then the sandwiches were ready - crusty bread filled with tender, salty, savory beef and sliced provolone cheese with a cup of jus (the beef’s cooking liquid) for dipping.  I even made roasted potatoes to go with the sandwiches. Stan was a happy man.  So happy he didn’t even mind the kale salad.



French Dip Sandwiches au Jus

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, sliced into 1/4-inch thick rounds
3/4 cup beef broth/stock
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 T. Dijon or Creole mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 lbs. (approx.) beef chuck roast
Salt
Pepper

6 to 8 sandwich rolls or a loaf of crusty bread cut into smaller pieces

6 to 8 slices Provolone cheese


Directions:
Place the onion slices in a slow cooker.  In a small bowl, whisk together the beef broth, water, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and garlic.  Pour over the onions.  Season both sides of the beef with salt and pepper and place on top of the onions.


Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low heat for 7 to 9 hours, or until the beef is falling-apart tender. Remove the beef and onions from the cooking liquid. Skim the fat off the liquid.  (If, like me, you don’t own a fat separator, you can pour the liquid into a bowl and pop it into the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes to cool down enough for the fat to rise to the top.)  Shred the beef and return it and the onions to the slow cooker to stay warm.  (I turned mine to the warm setting.)


Preheat your broiler.  

Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Place the split rolls onto the baking sheet.  Place the beef and onions on the bottom halves of the rolls, then top with Provolone. Broil until the cheese is melted.


Serve the sandwiches with cups of beef jus for dipping.


Serves 6 to 8.

23 comments:

  1. French dip au jus on a crusty roll has to be one of my all time favorite sandwiches! Pretty hard to beat.

    Great photos, Katie!

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  2. Cooking this right now, saw it yesterday and knew I had to try it. Looking delicious!

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  3. Oooo that looks so tastey!! My hubby is the same - though he does like veggies - he always has some comments about how many dishes I use to make dinner!

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  4. Katie, you and I are married to very similar men. I laughed out loud when I read "meat, with a side of meat ... and ideally, some bread" because for our "splurge" dinner in Rome on our honeymoon, Andrew ordered a plate of various grilled meats and ate it with bread. He was in heaven. :)

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  5. Monica - Why am I not surprised our husbands are similar?? Andrew's dinner sounds like Stan's dream meal!

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  6. This looks delicious! I love french dip sandwiches, but I can't stand the bottled au jus - too salty! I will definitely try this.

    BTW - I made your chicken, artichoke and broccoli divan the other night and it was wonderful! Is there a way to get just the text of the recipe without the photos - the photos use an awful lot of ink!

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  7. Great Blog - I really enjoyed it and am glad I found it. I struggle with sandwiches for dinner (I worry the hubby won't think it's enough food) but this looks great and I can't wait to try it!

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  8. Paula - Thank you for the lovely compliments. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the Chicken, Broccoli and Artichoke Divan!

    Unfortunately, I don't yet have a feature that will allow you to print only the text of a recipe. It is a project I need to work on. In the meantime, I would suggest highlighting the entire recipe and pasting it into a Word document. Then you can delete the pictures and print only the text. If that doesn't make sense, shoot me an email at thewellfednewlyweds@gmail.com, and I can explain in greater detail.

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  9. Alissa - Thank you so much! I think you'll be safe serving this to your hubby - I made two sandwiches for Stan and he could only get through one. Let me know it works out! (P.S. I love the name of your blog!)

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  10. Hi Katie! I have loved exploring your food blog and your recipes are amazing!! The French dip was the BEST roast beef sandwich I have ever eaten. My fiancé has requested it every week....he is a typical man and loves his meat!!

    Fondly,
    Lisa Pascoe
    Rachel's friend

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  11. Lisa - Hi there! Rachel was just here this weekend and was telling me all about you! Thank you so much for your compliments - and for sending them here in person, too! I'm really happy to hear you - and your fiance - are enjoying my recipes!

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  12. Just made this for my husband, son, and I. It's very good! I did have a bit of trouble with separating the fat, but other than that,; it's a keeper! Thank you for sharing!

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  13. Love au jus french dip do you have a recipe for pulled pork in its natural juice? Thanks

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  14. Mmmmm. I have this in right now. Had a 2 lb. sirloin tip roast, so am looking FWD to the extra juice. Thanks for the recipe!!

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  15. This was an excellent recipe! My husband and I both loved it. I'm certain it will become a staple in our meal rotation. I added a little horseradish mayo sauce to our sandwiches. Yum!

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  16. I've been making this recipe for at least three years now and everyone that eats it, loves it. It's a great recipe to make for company and I've had so many people ask me where I got it. Easy to find, easy to make, easy to eat! Love it!

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  17. Thanks a lot for sharing this amazing knowledge with us. This site is fantastic. I always find great knowledge from it. Pro Base Dipping Liquid Ultimate

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