Perfect, Fork-Tender French Dip Sandwiches are Just a Couple Hours Away!
Something that has long been on my to-do list is finding a great French dip sandwich recipe. It is my husband’s favorite sandwich, in fact probably his favorite food period, since he seems to always order it at any restaurant that has it on the menu. It was past time to be able to make a great one at home. And boy, did I find a winner, all right! I found a great pressure cooker French dip recipe and I don’t need to go looking any further--this was a fantastic recipe that gives you perfect, fork-tender roast beef with a delicious au jus sauce to dip in.
HISTORY OF THE FRENCH DIP SANDWICH
Let’s talk a little more about the French dip sandwich. Where did it come from? Is it really French?--because my gut told me it seemed pretty American. The answer is kind of both. It was invented by a French guy in America. In 1918, Philippe Mathieu owned a restaurant in Los Angeles called Philippe the Original (which actually still exists today--it’s one of the oldest restaurants in LA). The story floating around the restaurant is that he was making a sandwich for a policeman and accidentally dropped the sliced French roll into the drippings pan. He gave it to the policeman anyway and the policeman liked it so much that he came back with a few friends the next day to order this sandwich dipped in the roasting pan. This is where the sandwich was born. It is now served in restaurants all over the country--heck, probably all around the world!
KEYS TO A GREAT FRENCH DIP SANDWICH:
I think there are a few key things you need to remember when constructing a great French dip sandwich. Here are a few of my must haves:
*Great roll: It’s all about that bread, baby. You’ve got to have great bread for the sandwich to be great. I love getting a crusty French baguette and cutting it into thirds, spreading a garlic butter onto the inside of the roll, and broiling it a bit so it’s nice and crusty, ready for the meat.
*Melty cheese: keep that broiler on and after you add your roast beef, add a few slices of provolone or Swiss and pop the sandwich under the broiler to get that gooey, melty cheese we all love.
*Pretty presentation: If you really want to add a little something extra for presentation, you can finely chop parsley and sprinkle a little on the inside and outside as you are plating the sandwich. The parsley looks pretty and complements the flavors of the sandwich nicely.
*Bring the heat: At the original Phillipe’s they add a smear of hot mustard sauce on the sandwich, which sounds delicious. I really like adding a side of horseradish sauce to dip in to bring a little heat.
*Perfect Au Jus: The au jus is really important and it’s where I seemed to struggle the most in the past. I really loved the flavor of the au jus in this recipe below, but if you don’t love the flavor of your au jus,a little tip is to always keep a spare au jus sauce packet in my pantry to whip up as a backup to make sure you have a great sauce to dip the sandwiches. No one will ever know! I like the Johnny’s brand au jus sauce packets.
2 1/2 pounds chuck roast
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 onion, sliced
1/2 cup red wine (or some readers said they used better than bouillon with success)
1 (14 ounce) can of low-sodium beef broth
1 dried bay leaf
6 soft rolls
3 tablespoons of butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
pinch of kosher salt
6 slices of provolone or swiss cheese
Directions:
Add Recipe to Cook'n
HISTORY OF THE FRENCH DIP SANDWICH
Let’s talk a little more about the French dip sandwich. Where did it come from? Is it really French?--because my gut told me it seemed pretty American. The answer is kind of both. It was invented by a French guy in America. In 1918, Philippe Mathieu owned a restaurant in Los Angeles called Philippe the Original (which actually still exists today--it’s one of the oldest restaurants in LA). The story floating around the restaurant is that he was making a sandwich for a policeman and accidentally dropped the sliced French roll into the drippings pan. He gave it to the policeman anyway and the policeman liked it so much that he came back with a few friends the next day to order this sandwich dipped in the roasting pan. This is where the sandwich was born. It is now served in restaurants all over the country--heck, probably all around the world!
KEYS TO A GREAT FRENCH DIP SANDWICH:
I think there are a few key things you need to remember when constructing a great French dip sandwich. Here are a few of my must haves:
*Great roll: It’s all about that bread, baby. You’ve got to have great bread for the sandwich to be great. I love getting a crusty French baguette and cutting it into thirds, spreading a garlic butter onto the inside of the roll, and broiling it a bit so it’s nice and crusty, ready for the meat.
*Melty cheese: keep that broiler on and after you add your roast beef, add a few slices of provolone or Swiss and pop the sandwich under the broiler to get that gooey, melty cheese we all love.
*Pretty presentation: If you really want to add a little something extra for presentation, you can finely chop parsley and sprinkle a little on the inside and outside as you are plating the sandwich. The parsley looks pretty and complements the flavors of the sandwich nicely.
*Bring the heat: At the original Phillipe’s they add a smear of hot mustard sauce on the sandwich, which sounds delicious. I really like adding a side of horseradish sauce to dip in to bring a little heat.
*Perfect Au Jus: The au jus is really important and it’s where I seemed to struggle the most in the past. I really loved the flavor of the au jus in this recipe below, but if you don’t love the flavor of your au jus,a little tip is to always keep a spare au jus sauce packet in my pantry to whip up as a backup to make sure you have a great sauce to dip the sandwiches. No one will ever know! I like the Johnny’s brand au jus sauce packets.
INSTANT POT FRENCH DIP SANDWICHES
Serving size: 6
Ingredients:
2 1/2 pounds chuck roast
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 onion, sliced
1/2 cup red wine (or some readers said they used better than bouillon with success)
1 (14 ounce) can of low-sodium beef broth
1 dried bay leaf
6 soft rolls
3 tablespoons of butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
pinch of kosher salt
6 slices of provolone or swiss cheese
Directions:
1. For best results, let chuck roast rest at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before searing.
2. Add vegetable oil to the Instant Pot and hit the saute button.
3. Season chuck roast with 2 teaspoons of kosher salt, freshly ground pepper to taste, and ½ teaspoon of garlic powder on all sides.
4. Using a pair of long heat-proof kitchen tongs, sear roast on all sides in Instant Pot.
5. Remove seared roast from Instant Pot and set aside.
6. Add onions to pot and saute just until they start to soften.
7. Add red wine to pot and let simmer until reduced by half.
8. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up seared bits from the bottom of the pot as it simmers.
9. Once wine has reduced, add low-sodium beef broth and bay leaf.
10. Return roast to Instant Pot, close lid and make sure pressure release valve is set to sealing.
11. Hit Meat/Stew function and increase time to 100 minutes.
12. Let Instant Pot natural release for 25 minutes, then turn valve to venting to release any excess pressure.
13. Remove lid and transfer roast to a serving plate and shred.
14. Strain liquid through a fine mesh strainer and serve warm for dipping sandwiches.
15. Set oven to broil and place sandwich rolls on a baking sheet.
16. Combine melted butter, ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder and pinch of kosher salt in a small bowl.
17. Brush over rolls and toast 2-3 minutes, just until golden brown.
18. Pile meat onto rolls and top with cheese. Return to broiler and heat just until cheese has started to melt.
19. Top sandwiches with freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley and serve with warm au jus for dipping.
2. Add vegetable oil to the Instant Pot and hit the saute button.
3. Season chuck roast with 2 teaspoons of kosher salt, freshly ground pepper to taste, and ½ teaspoon of garlic powder on all sides.
4. Using a pair of long heat-proof kitchen tongs, sear roast on all sides in Instant Pot.
5. Remove seared roast from Instant Pot and set aside.
6. Add onions to pot and saute just until they start to soften.
7. Add red wine to pot and let simmer until reduced by half.
8. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up seared bits from the bottom of the pot as it simmers.
9. Once wine has reduced, add low-sodium beef broth and bay leaf.
10. Return roast to Instant Pot, close lid and make sure pressure release valve is set to sealing.
11. Hit Meat/Stew function and increase time to 100 minutes.
12. Let Instant Pot natural release for 25 minutes, then turn valve to venting to release any excess pressure.
13. Remove lid and transfer roast to a serving plate and shred.
14. Strain liquid through a fine mesh strainer and serve warm for dipping sandwiches.
15. Set oven to broil and place sandwich rolls on a baking sheet.
16. Combine melted butter, ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder and pinch of kosher salt in a small bowl.
17. Brush over rolls and toast 2-3 minutes, just until golden brown.
18. Pile meat onto rolls and top with cheese. Return to broiler and heat just until cheese has started to melt.
19. Top sandwiches with freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley and serve with warm au jus for dipping.
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.
Sources:
- www.commons.wikimedia.org
- www.flikr.com
- www.whatscookingamerica.net
Mary Richardson
Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2014
Email the author! mary@dvo.com
