French Dip Sandwich
This French dip sandwich features slow braised chuck roast shredded and piled onto a seeded sourdough baguette with melted provolone, freshly grated parmesan, caramelized onions, and horseradish aioli, served with a rich homemade au jus for dipping. A deeply satisfying sandwich worth every hour of cook time.
Ingredients
Braised Chuck Roast
- 3-4 lb chuck roast
- 2 onions thinly sliced
- 6 cloves garlic
- 4 cups beef stock
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
- oil for searing
- salt and pepper to taste
Horseradish Aioli
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1 tbsp horseradish
- squeeze of lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste
Caramelized Onions
- 4 large onions thinly sliced
- drizzle of oil
- salt to taste
Sandwich
- 2 sourdough baguettes used my sourdough baguette recipe but shaped to about 12 inches, wet the tops of the shaped baguette and dipped into some sesame seeds
- provolone cheese sliced
- parmesan cheese freshly grated
- fresh chives chopped
Instructions
- Sear: Season chuck roast with salt and pepper. Sear in a hot oiled pot 3-4 minutes per side until deeply crusted. Remove and set aside.
- Cook the onions: Lower the heat to medium. Add the thinly sliced onions to the same pot and cook for 3-4 minutes until slightly softened, scraping up any bits from the bottom.
- Braise: Add the seared chuck roast back to the pot. Pour in beef stock and add garlic cloves, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, and Worcestershire sauce. The liquid should come about halfway up the roast. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook on low heat for 4 hours until the beef is completely tender and falls apart easily when pressed with a fork. Alternatively braise in a 325°F oven for 3.5-4 hours.
- Horseradish aioli: While the beef is braising, mix mayo, horseradish, lemon juice, salt, and pepper until smooth. Adjust to taste.
- Caramelize onions: Heat a drizzle of oil in a wide pan over medium-low heat. Add the thinly sliced onions and a pinch of salt. Cook low and slow stirring regularly for 45-60 minutes until the onions are deeply golden, jammy, and sweet. Don't rush this on high heat — patience is the whole point.
- Strain the au jus: After 4 hours and the beef is tender, remove the chuck roast and set aside to rest. Strain the braising liquid through a fine mesh sieve into a saucepan, discarding the solids. Skim any excess fat from the surface. Keep warm over low heat — this is your au jus.
- Shred the beef: Shred the chuck roast using two forks, discarding any large pieces of fat. Add a couple of ladles of au jus to the shredded beef and toss to coat — this keeps the beef moist and infuses even more flavor.
- Melt cheese: Cut baguettes in half lengthwise. Lay provolone on both cut sides. Bake at 350°F until melted. Blowtorch or broil briefly to lightly brown the cheese.
- Spread aioli: Spread horseradish aioli generously on both sides over the melted provolone.
- Build: On one side pile on shredded beef and grate over fresh parmesan. On the other side add caramelized onions and fresh chives.
- Serve: Close the sandwich and serve immediately with warm au jus on the side for dipping.