Easy Homemade French Dip Sandwiches

Well, for dinner on Monday night, I was a tad unprepared and had no idea of what to make. This hasn't happened in recent times because I've been trying to organize my life, which means actually planning for meals! It's kind of hard to organize with a toddler and a newborn, but I think I get an A for effort.

I only had one piece of meat in our kitchen that wasn't frozen, a sirloin tip roast, so I worked with that. And what I ended up deciding on was the very easy French dip sandwich. Now, Andi, you ask... how can something that sounds so fancy be so easy? Well, Crock-Pot. Again with the Crock-Pot. I've mentioned it before how much I love it. I love it so much that I actually asked my husband to get me this piece of kitchen equipment for Valentine's day... and typically getting a woman any kind of kitchen appliance or cleaning appliance is a no-no. But, it has served my family beautifully, and I kind of like new appliances. 

Anyway, French dip sandwiches are one of CM's favorite foods. I feel like I say that a lot. He does like to eat... and yet he's so skinny. I could strangle him. And as it turns out, these sandwiches are also one of my mother-in-law's favorites as well, so I can impress her by making them one day... or I can make amends for when CM does something to make her mad (it's only a matter of time).

Here's what you need:

• 3-4 lb of any type of beef roast
• 1 packet of onion soup mix
• 1 packet of au jus gravy mix
• 30 oz of beef stock
• 2 C water
• Hoagie rolls
• Enough cheese for each sandwich
• Provolone, Swiss or White American are the typical cheeses used

Here's what you do:

• Put the roast into the Crock-Pot.
• Stir the onion soup mix, the au jus mix, the beef stock, and the water in a bowl.
• Using a wisk is preferable.
• Pour the mix over the roast in the Crock-Pot.
• Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for about 5.
• If your Hoagie rolls aren't already as crusty as you would like, stick them in the oven for a few minutes to toast them.
• Pull the roast from the Crock-Pot and shred it, place it on your rolls, then place the cheese on top.

My delicious roast, fresh from the Crock-Pot, and CM's Epic Meal Time knife.

•    Place the sandwiches on a baking sheet and put them in the oven on broil to get the cheese all nice and melty, and it will toast your rolls a little more.
• Do not leave the oven. If you don't keep a watch on them while they're in the oven on broil, they will burn, and it will happen quickly.
• Ladle the au jus into a dish, dip, and enjoy!

My sandwiches with swiss cheese.

Cliff's sandwich with provolone cheese.

These may take all day to cook, but they're that perfect meal for when you have a long day of work and don't want to do much cooking when you get home. I like to add additional vegetables to the mix while it cooks, such as carrots and potatoes. Those are really my go-to veggies when it comes to Crock-Pot cooking. And I love carrots!

Anyway, if you use a 3 lb roast, the recipe should render about 9 sandwiches, and a 4 lb roast should make about 12 sandwiches. Sooooo... 1 lb = 3 sandwiches, essentially. Of course, it depends on how much meat you stuff on the sandwich. If you put a ton, it will obviously make fewer ones. 

So leave me a comment and let me know what you thought about it, and be sure to share this with everyone! Also, if you haven't already, be sure to like my new Facebook page for Mint Kitchen Love! Just click the little yellow Facebook circle below and it will take you right to my page! Feel free to connect with me on all the other social media sites as well!