This quick and hearty French dip is great for nights when you don’t have much time to get food on the table.
Fun fact: in my house growing up, “French dip” consisted of oval-shaped hamburger patties that were pan fried and then put on hoagie rolls to be dipped in Au Jus. I’m not sure how that started (probably a result of some picky eater children…sorry Mom), but the first time I ordered French dip at a restaurant, I was totally confused by the meal that the waiter brought me.Since then, I have actually come to love the more traditional version (though I still like “hamburger dip”, too). Several years ago, during my pre-marriage days, I was in a dinner group (oh, to only have to cook once a week!), a friend introduced me to this super simple version of the classic meal.

It really does come together in 15 minutes or less, and tastes much more gourmet than the time invested would suggest. Mom win!

Without further ado, ENJOY!

French Dip Sandwiches

Notes: If you’d rather, you can make your own Au Jus from scratch using this recipe. Just omit the 3 cups of water (since the water’s purpose is to make the sauce). I’ve done it both ways depending on if I have the handy mix on hand at the time or not.

My favorite bread to eat these sandwiches (and any sandwiches) on are the ciabatta rolls you can buy at Costco. They are delicious and they freeze well if you don’t need all of them at once. Otherwise, you can definitely use a baguette cut into pieces or more traditional hoagie rolls.

Also, you can use white or yellow onions if you don’t have a Vidalia, but I just love the sweet onions!

Ingredients:

• 1-2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1/3 of a large Vidalia sweet onion (about 3/4 cup sliced into half-moons)
• 2/3 pound of deli-sliced roast beef
• 1 package Au Jus mix (see note above)
• 3 cups water
• Rolls/bread for sandwiches (see note above)
• 8 slices Provolone cheese

Directions:

1. Heat oil over medium in a large pan. Slice your onion into half-moons, and add to the pan, stirring from time to time.
2. While the onions cook, cut the roast beef into approximately 1-2 inch squares (I cut the whole stack at once and then separate the layers). Once the onions are beginning to get translucent, add the beef to the pan and cook until it browns a bit (3-5 minutes).
3. In a bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together Au Jus mix and water, and pour into pan with meat and onions. Bring to a simmer.
4. While the meat and sauce are warming, cut your bread/rolls open and place a slice of Provolone on each open face. Broil for just a couple of minutes to melt the cheese. Watch them! (I always burn them when I try to multi-task.)
5. Pour some of the sauce out of the pan, through a strainer, into cups/ramekins for dipping.
6. Serve sandwiches by placing your desired amount of meat/onions on each roll, dip in Au Jus, and ENJOY!

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