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The Sandwich 100 · make it at home

French dip with au jus

2 hr (20 min hands-on) · 4 sandwiches

Thin roast beef (or lamb) on a crusty roll, the cut side dipped in hot pan juices, with sharp mustard. Philippe's is the original; beef on weck in Buffalo is its cousin with a salted caraway roll and horseradish.

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The real one

You need

• 1 kg (2 1/4 lb) beef top round or eye of round (or boneless leg of lamb)
• 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 onion, sliced
• 120 ml (1/2 cup) dry red wine
• 700 ml (3 cups) beef stock
• 1 sprig thyme, 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 4 crusty French rolls
• Hot mustard, dill pickles

How to make it

1. Roast (1 hr 15 min): Heat the oven to 200 C (400 F). Rub the meat with salt, pepper and garlic powder, brown it in the oil in a roasting pan on the stove, 6 minutes, then roast to 54 C (130 F) inside, 45 to 60 minutes. Rest it on a board 20 minutes.
2. Make the jus (20 min): Set the pan on the stove, add the onion and cook 5 minutes. Pour in the wine and scrape up the browned bits, then add the stock, thyme, bay and Worcestershire and simmer 15 minutes. Strain and season.
3. Slice (5 min): Slice the beef very thin across the grain.
4. Dip (2 min per sandwich): Warm the slices for a moment in the jus. Split the rolls; dip the cut faces quickly in the jus (once for 'dipped', twice for 'double-dipped').
5. Build: Pile in the meat, spread with hot mustard, and serve with a pickle and a small cup of jus.

Tips

• Beef on weck: brush the roll tops with egg white, sprinkle with coarse salt and caraway and bake 5 minutes; serve with fresh horseradish.
• Don't let the roll soak; a quick dip keeps the crust.

Chef Amazing's own home version, in our words; not any shop's recipe.