French Dip Sandwich 01
The French Dip Sandwich shows up everywhere, and in all kinds of configurations. But the basics are a toasted piece of French Bread stuffed with thinly sliced Hot Roast Beef and served with a big ramekin or cup of au jus for dipping. The hand-written recipe I have is from my Backstage Restaurant days in New Hope, PA, and this is exactly how we served it there; simple, with chips and pickle. When you make this, have everything in place – the roll toasted, he au jus hot, the chips and pickle ready to go, and optional items like Sour Cream Horseradish already, and Caramelized Onions hot and ready for use – have everything ready before you put the Roast Beef in the Au Jus. Here I’m presenting the original favorite, with three variations: 1) with Melted Provolone Cheese; 2) with Sour Cream Horseradish Sauce; and 3) with Caramelized Onions.
Servings Prep Time
1sandwich 10minutes
Cook Time
2minute
Servings Prep Time
1sandwich 10minutes
Cook Time
2minute
Ingredients
For Regular Sandwich…
A Few Options…
Instructions
  1. Bring the Au Jus to a boil, and then let simmer, covered; add some water to the Au Jus if it’s too rich or too salty.
  2. Cut the French Bread length-wise, press open, and toast lightly under a broiler.
  3. If you are going to add Caramelized Onions to the sandwich, heat the desired amount in a pan.
  4. Cheese on the bottom or cheese on the top… 2 schools on the subject… If you want to add Provolone under the Roast Beef – my suggestion, place the French Bread on a foil-lined baking sheet, spread the Provolone on the French Bread and put it back under the broiler to melt the cheese.
  5. Cheese or no cheese, at this point, add the Roast Beef to the Au Jus, and let sit for about 30 seconds.
  6. Pile and spread the Roast Beef on the French Bread.
  7. Top with the Caramelized Onions if desired.
  8. If you want to melt the Provolone on top of the sandwich, spread the cheese over the Roast Beef and covering the edges of the bread, and put under the broiler to melt the cheese.
  9. Cut the sandwich in half and serve with a ramekin of Au Jus, a handful of Potato Chips, and a wedge of pickle.
  10. Optional: Add a ramekin of Sour Cream Horseradish Sauce on the side – highly recommended.
Recipe Notes

Here are some quick links to the other recipes related to this recipe:

Beef Au Jus 01

Caramelized Onions 01

Sour Cream Horseradish Sauce 01