French Dip Sandwiches

While in Maui, one meal that Derek and I really enjoyed was a simple sandwich from this little deli and bakery in downtown Lahaina called Banyan Tree Deli & Bakery. They had homemade fresh rolls that they stuff with freshly cut deli meats, lettuce, tomatoes, and best of all - sprouts! On the side, they served a fabulous jus that I made sure to dunk each bite into - it was a fabulous combination. The combination was not foreign to me - I've had a french dip sandwich or two in my life. The odd part was that I had ordered a turkey sandwich - no roast beef in site - and the result was just fabulous.

This wet my appetite for the more familiar french dip sandwich that I remember having seen slow-cooker recipes for in one of my recipe browsing sessions. Thus, I dusted off the old crockpot, dented and looking far too used for how little use it has actually had, and stuck Derek with the task of making the meal (who really wants to cook before work - even if only throwing ingredients into a crockpot).

Here is the basic recipe that we followed - from Allrecipes.com

Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches

Note: this is the original recipe, we scaled this down for just under 2 lb. of meat

Ingredients

4 pounds rump roast
1 (10.5 ounce) can beef broth
1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed French onion soup
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer
6 French rolls
2 tablespoons butter

Directions

1.Trim excess fat from the rump roast, and place in a slow cooker. Add the beef broth, onion soup and beer. Cook on Low setting for 7 hours.
2.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3.Split French rolls, and spread with butter. Bake 10 minutes, or until heated through.
4.Slice the meat on the diagonal, and place on the rolls. Serve the sauce for dipping.

From the pictures, you can tell that the meat is not super tender. It was by no means dry but I think the recipe could be improved with the following:

- NOT starting the roast on high heat - Derek started the roast around 1:30 PM...therefore, he put it on high for the first four hours or so.
- Pan-searing the roast before putting it in the slow cooker - this would trap the juices in.

Regardless, I found the sandwiches to be delectable. Dipping the crisp but not over toasted bread (an Acme Bread torpedo roll - freshly made that day) into the jus, that I must admit, I sipped on after finishing the sandwich - and justified my actions with the fact that it is essentially french onion soup - the taste was just killer. Juicy, crunchy, meaty...and EASY. Slow cookers are fabulous because you just throw ingredients in and leave it for the rest of the day. You come back at dinner time, spend a few minutes doing the last minute steps and you're ready to eat!!

Overall - really tasty, all of the elements went so well together - what I would try next time is searing the meat prior to putting it into the crock pot.