whine & dine

Jump to Comments

As much as I love roast beef (and roast beef dinners), I find that what I look forward to more than the actual dinner is the leftovers. Wafer thin slices of cold roast beef, rewarmed in a little gravy, piled atop lightly buttered bread with various accoutrements like caramelised onions, blistered cheese, mustard, and – of course – a fried egg.

Of course, this sandwich would be nothing if I didn’t start out with a good piece of meat. Thanks to my sous vide supreme (what’s a beef-related post on this blog without a little ode to my SVS, eh?) all I did was season about a kilo of boneless Black Angus rib well on all sides with salt and pepper, then I popped it into the water oven at 55ºC for 8 hours, and I browned it quickly in a preheated cast iron pan just before serving.

And, if you’ve gone through the trouble of roasting up a some beef and making a whole bunch of sides like glazed carrots, creamed corn/spinach, and buttery mashed potatoes, you really can’t settle for gravy out of a jar either. I personally love a caramelised onion gravy, so I’ve included a recipe for one below. It follows the usual method of thickening a stock into a sauce by means of a roux, which can be adapted to pretty much any other roasts you make by swapping out the beef stock and adjusting the aromats for whatever’s appropriate (e.g. chicken stock, with some roasted garlic and thyme instead of star anise with the onions, for a roast chicken).

Roast Beef Sandwiches

300g leftover roast beef
2 large slices of french bread
softened butter
wholegrain mustard
3-4 tbsp gravy, reheated (see below)
4 slices melty cheese (I like cheddar or gruyere)
2 eggs
optional: caramelised onions, and finely chopped parsley

Preheat your oven to 180ºC. Line a tray with greaseproof paper. (This will make your cleanup a little bit easier since chances are the cheese is going to melt onto the tray.)

Thinly slice your roast beef. It’s a little easier to get the slices really thin – without the use of a meat slicer anyway – if the meat is cold, so I’d recommend slicing it up straight out of the fridge, with the help of a really sharp knife. If the meat is in one big chunk, it’s also less likely to dry out in the fridge.

Generously smear each slice of bread with butter, going right to the edges – this will prevent the bread from getting soggy. Place the bread, buttered side up, on the prepared tray. Spread a thin layer of mustard over the butter, then, in as even a layer as possible, divide the beef between the two slices of bread. If using onions, spread them evenly over the beef, and dollop the gravy over. Lay two slices of cheese on top, letting the corners hang over the edges of the bread, then place the tray in the oven for about 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the meat has been warmed through.

While the sandwiches are toasting, fry two eggs to your liking. Once they’re ready, top each sandwich with an egg, shower a little chopped parsley over, and serve immediately.

If you’re intending to pack the sandwiches, I prefer to have the eggs cooked over easy so they’re a little less runny, then top with an extra slice of buttered bread, and wrap the entire sandwich in foil. Turn your oven off and let it cool slightly, then pop the foil packets into the oven so that the top slice of bread is warm as well, then keep in an insulated bag and try to eat it within 30 minutes so it doesn’t get too cold and claggy.

Yield: Makes two sandwiches

Caramelised Onion Beef Gravy
2 medium red onions, thinly sliced
one piece of star anise
60g + 10g unsalted butter
2 tbsp AP flour
S+P
500ml beef stock

Melt 60g of the butter in a deep sauté pan over medium heat. Add in the onions and star anise, and cook until deeply caramelised, about 30 minutes. Season gently with salt and black pepper.

Sift in the flour, and cook for about 2 minutes. The pan should smell nutty from the butter and if you tasted it, there shouldn’t be a pasty, floury taste to it anymore.

Add in about 50ml of the warmed stock, whisking to fully incorporate the stock, then continue to add it to your onion-roux in additions of about 50-100ml at a time. When all the stock has been added, simmer for about 10 minutes, until thickened to your preferred consistency. Strain into a clean pan, stir in any extra pan drippings or juices from the roast beef (removing any fat first, if possible. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary, then keep warm in a covered pan on the stove. Just before serving, remove from heat and monte the last 10g of butter.

The gravy – which, incidentally, goes great with mashed potatoes, and makes a fantastic dipping sauce for piping hot fries as well – will keep in a tightly covered container in the fridge for about 3 days, assuming no one steals it – or your sandwich, for that matter – first. :)

Yield: Makes 1-1.5 cups of gravy