Easy French Dip Sandwiches (crockpot, small batch)

 

I had picked up a small roast to make a pot of stew last week. I was going to cut it into chunks.  Its pretty bad when it is cheaper to buy a small roast than a package of stewing beef, but that was the case.

My son was going to be coming over from New Brunswick with the boys to celebrate his dad's 70th birthday.  They ended up not being able to come. I know I could have just put the roast into the freezer for another time, but I had spied this recipe on  That's Delicious for Easy French Dip Sandwiches and I wanted to give them a go.

 

Her recipe allowed for both cooking it in the slow cooker or the Instant Pot. It is also a full sized recipe. I cut it back to make a small batch. 

 

If you are interested in making a full recipe, and or cooking it in an Instant Pot, by all means do check her recipe out!

 

I did make a few other changes as well. I didn't have the exact ingredients she used to hand and so I adapted it to use the ingredients that I did have and that I knew would also be available in the U.K. so that they could also cook it over there.

The crockpot I used is this one.  It is the perfect size for the smaller family and has a lid that clamps on for transporting in the case that you need to take your meal to a pot luck or some such. I have been very happy with mine and I highly recommend this one.  I get nothing from telling you that, but, when something works well,  I think its a nice thing to share.

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE EASY FRENCH DIP SANDWICHES

Only five simple ingredients, exclusive of the meat and things you require to serve it with.  Quite simple really. 

For the Beef:

• 1 1/2 pounds (approximately 678g) beef steak or roast
• 1 cup (240ml) water
• 1 tsp onion powder (not salt)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder (not salt)
• 1/2 packet dry onion soup mix
• 2 heaped TBS beef gravy powder
• salt and pepper to taste (I didn't use any)

To serve:

• softened butter as needed
• 4 Hoagie buns
• 2 slices of Swiss cheese
• garlic and onion powder, coarse black pepper to taste

My roast was a small .6 kg sirloin roast.  Not very big at all, but perfect to use in this.  I removed the string and then just cut it crosswise into the strips. I guess I got about 2 cups of strips.

Make sure you use the onion and garlic powders and not the salts.  Since the gravy mix and the onion soup mix are both salty, you will probably not need any salt at all. I didn't.

Au Jus mix is not available in the U.K. and I did not happen to have any in my cupboard.  So I decided to use dry French Onion Soup mix.

I know that you can find this in the U.K. as well, unlike Au Jus mix.  I used to buy mine by the tub on amazon when I lived there.  You will  need no more than 2 TBS of the mix, or half an envelope.

  

I think Ainsley Harriot also makes a French Onion Cup a soup mix which would work well.  One packet of that would be perfect.

 

I did not have any packets of gravy mix but I did have my trusty tub of Bisto beef gravy and that is what I used.  It works a charm and I know that is as common as muck in the U.K. No house would be without it's Bisto.  I actually keep three kinds.  Beef, Onion and Chicken/Turkey.

I used Swiss Cheese slices rather than Provolone as that is what I had. By all means use Provolone cheese if that is what you prefer and have to hand.  Any good melting cheese would work, even Gouda.

I also opted for the longer cook time, starting  mine in the morning so that it was ready by teatime. This left me free to pursue other interests throughout the day. I love meals like that.

 

HOW TO MAKE EASY FRENCH DIP SANDWICHES 

If this was any easier it would make itself.

Slice your beef across the grain into strips that are 2 to 3 inches long and no more than 1/3 of an inch thick. Place into a smallish crock pot. (Mine is a 1 1/2 QT pot.)

Add the onion and garlic powders, the gravy mix and soup mix and the water. Give it all a good stir, then cover with the lid. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 to 8 hours until the beef is fork tender. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.

 

Split the hoagie buns and spread the cut sides with butter. Sprinkle with garlic and onion powders and coarse black pepper to taste. Toast, cut sides down in a large skillet.

Strain most of the juices from the beef and keep warm. Lay the cheese slices over the remainder of the beef and allow to melt. Divide the beef and place into the cut and toasted buns.

Serve hot with individual dishes of the juices for dipping. So delicious!

 

These were really delicious. The meat was fork tender and almost melted in the mouth.  The au jus for dipping was also incredibly tasty. 

I had enough for me to enjoy today and then I froze the rest in one serving sized lots for me to enjoy another time. It would make a great filling for a small pot pie, or even a small pan of hash with some cooked potatoes added.

I love it when meals lend themselves towards creating more than one delicious outcome!

Some other crockpot recipes which you might enjoy are:

THE BEST CROCKPOT BROCCOLI CHEESE SOUP - There is no need for browning or precooking any of the ingredients. You simply just chop everything throw it into the slow cooker, and walk away, letting it get on with its business. The end result is creamy, cheesy, broccoli deliciousness.  Easy peasy lemon squeezy! Rich and creamy, no fuss, no muss.

CROCKPOT HAM, BEANS AND POTATOES -  This is a real family favorite. Its such a simple thing but the flavors are stupendous. Adapted from an old Mennonite cookbook, it is proof positive that delicious food doesn't have to be complicated. Everything simply gets layered in the crockpot and then cooked.

Yield: 4

Author: Marie Rayner

Easy French Dip Sandwiches

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 8 HourTotal time: 8 H & 10 M

With only five simple ingredients (for the beef) and a crock pot you can make a delicious supper that is mostly hands off! Strips of tender beef in a tasty gravy, topped with melted cheese, all tucked into a toasted bun. You can't go wrong!

Ingredients

For the Beef:

• 1 1/2 pounds (approximately 678g) beef steak or roast
• 1 cup (240ml) water
• 1 tsp onion powder (not salt)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder (not salt)
• 1/2 packet dry onion soup mix
• 2 heaped TBS beef gravy powder
• salt and pepper to taste (I didn't use any)

To serve:

• softened butter as needed
• 4 Hoagie buns
• 2 slices of Swiss cheese
• garlic and onion powder, coarse black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Slice your beef across the grain into strips that are 2 to 3 inches long and no more than 1/3 of an inch thick. Place into a smallish crock pot. (Mine is a 1 1/2 QT pot.)
2. Add the onion and garlic powders, the gravy mix and soup mix and the water. Give it all a good stir, then cover with the lid. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 to 8 hours until the beef is fork tender. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.
3. Split the hoagie buns and spread the cut sides with butter. Sprinkle with garlic and onion powders and coarse black pepper to taste. Toast, cut sides down in a large skillet.
4. Strain most of the juices from the beef and keep warm. Lay the cheese slices over the remainder of the beef and allow to melt. Divide the beef and place into the cut and toasted buns.
5. Serve hot with individual dishes of the juices for dipping. So delicious!

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