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Need Ideas for Roast Beef Sandwich

post #1 of 33
4/24/07 at 8:19pm
Thread Starter 
Hi Gang,

First a little background: Apart from a couple of hero sandwiches in 1957 (roast beef on hero bread with potato salad and lettuce, a little pepper), I've never had a roast beef sandwich. Today I was gifted with about a half pound of very nice looking sliced roast beef, and I'd like to make a sandwich from that. However, I haven't a clue about a dressing. I recall that roast beef goes well with horseradish, maybe mustard, but beyond that I haven't a clue. I have some good horseradish handy, some Dijon mustard, Havarti cheese (which seems to go nicely with the beef), Alpine Lace "Swiss," and a hearty Irish cheddar. The bread at hand is a locally baked sourdough sandwich bun.

So, with these ingredients in mind, what combo might you suggest for a nice roast beef sandwich. I can, of course, get other ingredients as well ...

Thanks for any and all ideas,

Shel
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post #2 of 33
4/24/07 at 8:22pm
I've always wanted to try arugula with roast beef, but every time I'm around both of them I don't think of it.
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post #3 of 33
4/24/07 at 9:07pm
Chipotle & Bleu Cheese Mayo
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post #4 of 33
4/24/07 at 10:02pm
Caramalised onions and roasted zucchini!
Yum! OH yeah and heaps of fresh cracked black pepper and a drizzle of really good olive oil.
Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.
-Clemenza-

Lateley we've been getting more ROLL than ROCK......
Bernie Taupin
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post #5 of 33
4/24/07 at 10:29pm
Also, how about sauteed mushrooms with Sherry?
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post #6 of 33
4/24/07 at 10:39pm
Shel,
It's gettin' late, and yer makin' me really hungry here...
But back to your dilema.
You have everything (almost) that you need to really enjoy that sliced roast beef...
A dab of horseradish, a slightly larger dab of mayo, and a good squirt of Dijon blended together to make a nice little dressing. Add in a splash or two of Italian dressing for some more taste bud invigoration...
Some leafy lettuce (Romaine or your other choice - just the tender stuff, not the stalky bits), a couple of slices of ripe tomato, and top it off with the cheddar...
Very lightly grill or slightly brown the cut faces of the bun to add a tactile sensation of "crunch" (do one half of the bun for an experiment), and stack it up!!!

Then just sit back and savor the tastes and textures...

Oh, I dare not get near the fridge right now. Too close to bed time...
I might be suffering from CDO.
It is just like OCD, except the letters are in alphabetical order.
Just as they should be...
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post #7 of 33
4/25/07 at 4:42am
Jean-Claude Tindillier, when he had his French Deli called Le Petit Chef, had an "executive" box lunch which I enjoyed many times a month.

The thinly sliced roast beef was on homemade multigrain bun, with homemade mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, some Romaine lettuce, and a slice of imported Gruyere cheese. Accompanying this were some French cornichons, some Wild Rice salad (wild rice, black olives, tomatoes, whole green peppercorns, tarragon, red wine vingrette) and your choice of dessert (I usually chose the imported Belgian chocolate cup with fresh fruit).

The sandwich was the center attraction, but the "accessories" made it a meal never to be forgotten.

doc
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post #8 of 33
4/25/07 at 4:56am
Whatever combo you choose, Shel, please don't insult the beef by using that Alpine Lace; a piss-poor excuse for food if there ever was one.

Personally, I like the idea of the beef, havarti, and horseradish. I don't think anything else is needed.
They have taken the oath of the brother in blood, in leavened bread and salt. Rudyard Kipling
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post #9 of 33
4/25/07 at 5:11am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for all the suggestions so far. Some are just perfect for the ingredients I usually have around the kitchen, and suit my temprement and taste buds as well.

I just had to try something last night, so I used Havarti, my favorite horseradish, some Dijon, and sprouts on thinly sliced sourdough ... it was pretty good. I've gotta try this roast beef concept some more - it's Good Eats <LOL>.

Someone suggested arugula - that sounds like it might be a very good combination based on the taste combo of the sprouts and roast beef.

The idea of caramelized onions sounds intriguing, and when I make the next batch of onions I'll try that as well.

Thanks for all the suggestions! Keep 'em coming :lips:

Shel
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post #10 of 33
4/25/07 at 5:15am
Thread Starter 
I bought the Alpine Lace for a friend who likes it - I much prefer other types of Swiss myself. I never would have thought of Havarti except that about a year ago a fellow I know who worked at a deli mentioned the cheese in combination with roast beef, so I had to try it. It is a nice combo.
Shel
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post #11 of 33
4/25/07 at 5:38am
Melted Brie. :D :D :D
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post #12 of 33
4/25/07 at 5:55am
blue angel was one of my fav sandwiches at the original Whole Foods in New Orleans. rare roast beef, red onions, mayo, blue cheese, probably country white bread. It was a really good combo.

Years later I made a salad with sliced flank, red grapes, red onion and blue cheese dressing.

But the horseradish, aioli (or mayo), with coarse grain mustard work well too.
cooking with all your senses.....
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post #13 of 33
4/25/07 at 6:15am
cream cheese with a touch of horseradish, slice tomato,roast beef, on sourdough pumpernickel, lots of cracked pepper
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post #14 of 33
4/25/07 at 6:29am
Thread Starter 
Hi - some intiguing ideas you've suggested. Somehow I can't wrap my head around the idea of mayo and meat. Maybe it's my NYC-Jewish background.

When I had my first hamburger in California I was STUNNED! to find it served with mustard and mayo. I can accept mayo with turkey, chicken, veggie sandwiches, but not with red meat. I suppose it may be pretty good ... but still .... and, in my mind, mustard is for hot dogs and ketchup goes on burgers. Old habits are are to kick.

Shel
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post #15 of 33
4/25/07 at 6:52am
lolol.....NYC Jew. I can remember walking into a kosher deli in Memphis (as a teenager) and asking for swiss on my corn beef, also a side of mayo too.....
the deli owner looked at me hard and said he'd sell me a slice of swiss but I'd have to put it on my sandwich, outside.

One of my dearest friends grew up in NYC and is adament about "the only true way of serving certain foods", like NY has a corner on correctness.....I love her to pieces and just poke her occasionally to illicite a reaction, it's fairly entertaining.
cooking with all your senses.....
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post #16 of 33
4/25/07 at 7:02am
You beat me to it! :lol:

As has been noted, just about everything else Shel has would make a good -- maybe even great -- sandwich. I'm thinking also about a sort-of banh mi -- some sweet chili sauce (not Heinz!!), lettuce, shredded carrots and cucumber, maybe some jicama if you have it, thinly sliced fresh or pickled chile peppers, on a toasted baguette.

Mayo is actually okay, since really it's only egg and oil -- but yeah, a lot of us were brought up to think that it's treyf. I still can't get used to it on a burger (except as "special sauce ;) ), but on an RB sandwich, oh yeah baby.
"Notorious stickler" -- The New York Times, January 4, 2004
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post #17 of 33
4/25/07 at 7:05am
Thread Starter 
Funny story about the Memphis deli. It's only been relatively recently that I could get behind cheese with certain meat, although cheeseburgers, for example, were never a problem for me. But cheese with corned beef or pastrami - sheesh! Don't people know anything about the correct way to eat such meats.:lol:

Now here's the strange thing - if I go into a Kosher style deli, and get a nice corned beef or pastrami sandwich, I'll never put cheese on it. However, if I go into the little Italian deli and get a corned beef sandwich, a slice or two of cheese is more than acceptable. Of course, the corned beef/pastrami are of somewhat different style, but still, it's somewhat odd behavior, even to me.

Shel
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post #18 of 33
4/25/07 at 7:22am
[quote=Suzanne;170362] I'm thinking also about a sort-of banh mi -- some sweet chili sauce (not Heinz!!), lettuce, shredded carrots and cucumber, maybe some jicama if you have it, thinly sliced fresh or pickled chile peppers, on a toasted baguette.
quote]

That sounds good even without the beef.
They have taken the oath of the brother in blood, in leavened bread and salt. Rudyard Kipling
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post #19 of 33
4/25/07 at 7:34am
where`s the hot pastrami???? ummmmm gooood
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post #20 of 33
4/25/07 at 8:07am
I was only suggesting to mix in just a little to add a slightly sweeter taste to the horseradish and Dijon... Balanced out by the slightly vineagery tast of the Italian dressing...
Or not...

Had to google the word treyf, but had a pretty good idea what that was before I read a definition.
Given personal preferrences, I completely understand a reluctance to use some ingredients.

Me being of a Chicago/Phoenix Scottish sort of background... :crazy:
I might be suffering from CDO.
It is just like OCD, except the letters are in alphabetical order.
Just as they should be...
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post #21 of 33
4/25/07 at 1:30pm
Thread Starter 
I'd never heard of bahn mi before your message. Did a little Googling to learn more about it. Sounds good - very good.

Heinz chili sauce? Nah - there are far to many other more interesting sauces on the market, and they're easy enough to make as well.

shel
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post #22 of 33
4/25/07 at 2:23pm
Shel....NOT heinz but Vietnamese sweet chili sauce....comes in a tall liter btl sometimes called Rooster sauce. It's like a simple syrup with chilis garlic and other shtuff....sortof kinda.....used alot for Spring rolls.
cooking with all your senses.....
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post #23 of 33
4/25/07 at 2:36pm
Thread Starter 
Cool - there are many, many sources for such items here. Thanks.

BTW, I used to live in STL, in Westwood, out in the county. Worked in Brentwood.

Shel
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post #24 of 33
4/25/07 at 2:46pm
No, not Rooster -- aka sriracha -- that's only hot, I think. The brand of sweet chili sauce I have right now is Linghams, from Malaysia. Most brands I've seen are sort of fluorescent orange, but not from food coloring. Shroom is right about the big bottle for a lot of brands, though. It is great stuff: hot, sweet, sour, garlicky. :lips:

Banh mi is one of those thrilling fusions of indigenous and colonial -- the French brought their bread and pâté to Vietnam, and the Vietnamese added their own flavors. (I forgot to mention sprigs of cilantro and mint and/or Thai basil on the sandwich as well.) Even when it's made with mystery meat -- and a lot of them are, since how many of us understand Vietnamese? -- it's great. John Thorne has a great piece about it in Pot On the Fire. I think that's where I first learned about it, and had to find it asap. And make my own.
"Notorious stickler" -- The New York Times, January 4, 2004
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post #25 of 33
4/25/07 at 3:01pm
they are at the kitchen and I was going on memory...but we are speaking of the same sauce.

BTW, I used to live in STL, in Westwood, out in the county. Worked in Brentwood.

SF is a long way from home and very very different from the STL mentality. Hwy 40 is under major construction, the Highway Dept is shutting it down from Speode through Bellvue (?) I've not paid alot of attention, figured I'd find alternative routes if necessary and until that time wouldn't dwell on the gunk. So, NYC, STL and SF......interesting cities.
cooking with all your senses.....
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post #26 of 33
4/25/07 at 5:01pm
Personally? I would add some caramelized onions, some diced pancetta, maybe some arugula, and a light drizzle of homemade thousand island dressing with maybe a little bit of chipotles in adobo mixed in. Top with some slices of swiss cheese, and pop under the broiler in a hoagie roll so the cheese gets sort of melted. Awesome.
Meet Austin- destroyer of all picky eaters. He's watching you...
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post #27 of 33
4/25/07 at 5:10pm
Austin's suggestion makes me think: to heat or not to heat? :p

I usually prefer to leave the beef cold, since I like my beef as rare as possible. What about everyone else?
"Notorious stickler" -- The New York Times, January 4, 2004
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post #28 of 33
4/25/07 at 5:18pm
I actually like mine around medium-rare to medium, and usually a bit hot. The main reason I put it under the broiler however is to melt the cheese, not to cook the beef. (Hopefully, :))
Meet Austin- destroyer of all picky eaters. He's watching you...
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post #29 of 33
4/26/07 at 8:44pm
either, hot or cold....just different sandwiches. The goo I'd put on a hot sandwich I'd not necessarily put on a cold one.
Roast beef I tend to eat cold, brisket hot, pastrami hot, corn beef either way but usually hot.
cooking with all your senses.....
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post #30 of 33
4/27/07 at 5:33am
We serve a pretty good one. Roast beef, cheddar, grilled onions, and red curry spread, on rustic bread and grilled on a panini press.

Tony
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