Hot sandwiches are kind of yucky. That is my informed, expert, technical opinion. There are noted exceptions, such as grilled cheese and… and… ok, so that’s about it! I just don’t like them in general, but I DO love roast beef! A French Dip bridges these opposing forces nicely, and this one was better than I’ve had at any ol’ sandwich shop. Quiznos, shwiznos… Allow me to walk you through the creation of this beef-tastic sammy.
0830: Drink a cup of coffee, perusing my trusty Ree Drummond cookbook. I’m looking for something that requires more time and effort than I typically expend on a work night. This is my day off!
0835: Decide on Recipe #95: French Dip Sandwiches, and gather my mise en place. (I love the snobby, Food Network term that just means “gather all my crap together”!) This includes all the dry seasonings for a rub, minus the dried thyme (a recent victim of the spice cabinet purge) but replaced with ground marjoram, because it seemed like a good idea at the time.
0900: I get to use the “Roast” function on my oven for the very first time! I didn’t even know that button was there. This is very exciting! Set it to 475 (yes, you read that correctly) and throw the boneless beef loin coated in spices into the hot box. In theory, it will hang out here for 25 minutes.
0910: Mix up a batch of my mama’s seasoning, because if this roast comes out like I think it will, I’m gonna need to try her special blend on the next one!
Here’s how to make it: pour equal parts granulated garlic, onion powder, black pepper and Lawry’s Season Salt onto a piece of wax paper, then play with it like a sand-art project until well-blended. Yeah, you could just pour it all into a jar and mix it up, but where is the fun in that??
0913: Thinly slice onions and combine all liquid ingredients while dodging adorable kitten attempting to trip me.
0925: Check on roast, which supposedly should have reached 125 degrees internally at the 25 minute mark. THIS IS A LIE. It’s only 71.
0926: Smoke alarm goes off! Note to self: turn on the exhaust fan and the ceiling fan, AND open a couple windows when using the “Roast” function!!
0945: We’re up to 112 degrees! Still inedible even by my rare-beef standards.
0953: FINALLY! Handy in-oven thermometer reaches the temp I need, and the roast comes out. Meat goes onto a serving platter to rest while I use the roasting pan to sauté all the onions and garlic I previously sliced. P.S., I only used one onion because mine are larger than a league-standard softball. The recipe called for two. Overkill.
1010: Add all the liquids (beef consommé, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce) and simmer for 45 minutes to reduce and intensify flavors. I should note here that my sautéed onions looked NOTHING like the picture in the cookbook… I had a fair amount of dry rub that fell off the roast to the bottom of the pan, and in her picture, it looked like Ree had swapped out her cooking pan for a clean one. I figured all those extra seasonings on the onions could only improve things, but it did kinda look like I had spilled coffee grounds in the pan when I stirred it all up. I also tasted the jus halfway through the simmering time and decided it was too salty, so I dumped in more beef broth to tone it down.
1115: Timer goes off! I’m starving. But I still have to strain the onions out of the jus, toast my hoagie roll (this was a step I decided to add), and mix up a little “horsey sauce” from a store-bought cream and some chunky creamed horseradish. This is another addition I decided the French Dip needed, because beef and horseradish go together like peanut butter and jelly! But that’s gross on roast beef…
1119–1137: Chew, mmm, wipe away horseradish-induced tears, moan in culinary delight, mmmmmm, chew, repeat… (Be sure to serve with a side of dental floss!)
Final review: DEEEE. LISH. US!! The jus was perfect, the sautéed onions were sweet and caramelized, and the horsey sauce was a welcome added flavor. The recipe link below is from the Food Network website and is exactly what came out of the cookbook, except she lists provolone cheese as an optional ingredient. Maybe next time!
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/drippy-french-dip-sandwiches-recipe-2079725.html
Have Book, Will Cook 
Did you bring the loin to room temp before roasting it? That makes a HUGE difference in roasting time!
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I brought it out of the fridge for about 30 minutes before putting it in the oven. But I didn’t want to wait too long to eat!
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Have you already made recipes 1-91??
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I have! Those are the ones I posted on Facebook over the course of 2017 and one of the reasons I decided on the blog format!
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