Beef Dip Sandwiches Drenched With Love

This recipe was inspired by a Rachel Ray recipe that's quite similar. Only, I use a roast of beef instead of roast beef deli lunch meat so mine isn't exactly ready in thirty minutes. It's worth the effort though as this beef dip or French dip or Beef Dip Au Jus sandwich is very lovely!

Here's how I do it:

Cook Your Roast Beef at 350 for about 2-2.5 hours. You'll have covered it with spices and every thirty minutes or so poured a 1/4 cup of tea into the pan to keep it juicy. Make sure you cook it covered.

Shave the meat really thin when it's done but be sure you've tented it for 10-15 minutes before slicing.

Before it's done make your au jus. Start with a skillet with some butter and some finely chopped onion (just about a 1/4 of a small onion) and then add a teaspooon of flour. Stir continously until it's thick. Then add a few cups of beef stock and some brewed black tea. Then add some more butter and some Beef Bovril until it looks like a really thin gravy.

After you've taken your meat out of the pan, add your au jus to the roasting pan and turn up to medium and start scraping the pan and stirring it all together. Your jus along with the beef drippings will make a lovely juice. You might add a little more butter, a little more beef stock or tea to get the consistency you like.
As the meat is shaved, put it in the roasting pan and drench it so it's covered and simmers for a few minutes.

Warm some pannini rolls and layer your meat on top. I like to put sauteed onions, peppers and mushrooms in the sandwich as well with a sprinkling of a mixture of mozzarella, parmasean, provolone and asiago but any yellow shredded cheese will do.

Have some au jus on the side for dipping and be sure to have plenty of serviettes for your chin . The perfect companion for this dish is my famous French onion soup which works well for dipping if you've run out of au jus too.

Mmmm Gravy

Gravy can be a lovely part of a meal. Whether you're cooking it for a roast, for turkey dinner or for another meal, good gravy can be the crowning glory of a well prepared meal.

Here's mine. This works with or without pan drippings. Pan drippings are obviously desired but I make it without them when I do it for salisbury steak, hot hamburger gravy or poutine.

Start with brewed tea. It makes a great base instead of plain water. Add your drippings if you have them. If you don't, use extra Bovril.

My two favourite gravy helpers are Bovril and Horne's Gravee powder. I use them both for best results. Taste your gravy as you cook it to find out what works for you.

Add your drippings and your bovril (beef or chicken, whatever you prefer) to your tea and then add a dollop of butter. I know, I know, my alter ego health blog self would tell you to use the butter sparingly but this is the cook with love blog, not the health blog. I can cook healthfully and lovingly but not when I cook gravy. Sorry. :)

Bring it to a boil. When it's bubbling, add your thickener. Some prefer cornstarch and water, others flour and milk but my favourite gravy thickener is milk blended with Bisquick mix (a 1/2 cup milk, 2 tbsps of Bisquick). You can also start the dish with the thickener by a dollop of butter and teaspoon of flour and let it get thick and add to the mixture from there.

It'll thicken quickly and then you need to turn it down or off) and adjust either the thickness, the taste or leave it just as it is. I use gravy in a lot of dishes. Less drippings means less calories and more gravy helpers mean more sodium so serve it the way you like it and do some experimenting until you find the perfect gravy for your tastebuds.

Bon Apetite!