Well, we had our second evening of the Taste of the Shoe — and it was delicious!
French Dip Sourdough Sandwiches
Our main course was French Dip Sandwiches using our own homemade sourdough rolls! I have had one of the best french dip sandwiches ever . . . at a little restaurant right here in our little town. And I looked at the way this sandwich came to me on my plate with a roll that was crusty on the outside, yet soft on the inside. It was smothered in caramelized onions and mushrooms and served with a delicious au jus sauce. That sandwich was one I wanted to try at home.
So that was my attempt for this meal . . . and it worked! I cooked the beef (although I used chuck roast instead of tri tip) in the crockpot like the recipe said. I did have to add a little more water since the sauce kept dwindling as the day went on.
For the sandwiches, I had mixed up a batch of sourdough bread the evening before and let it rise all night long. This is the way I usually make my sourdough. I used some whole wheat flour in this recipe, but the bulk of it was white flour. I know that isn’t the way to whole foods, but with sourdough bread I am still learning how to work the whole wheat into it and still have it rise well. I don’t know that I will get it to be entirely whole wheat, but that’s okay with me. I love the taste and health of the fermented sourdough bread – so going only halfway with the whole grain ordeal doesn’t bother me. Maybe it should . . . Plus, I use chemical-free Wheat Montana flour – wow, that makes me feel healthier just reading that!
In the morning, I formed the bread dough into individual rolls and let them rise another three hours before baking them. At supper, I sliced them open and laid both sides face up on a cookie sheet. Then I piled on the roast beef and topped each sandwich with muenster cheese before broiling for a few minutes. Once out of the oven, I topped two sandwiches with caramelized onions – these were for Lowell and I. Then put the other half of the roll on top and onto the table they went.
The sauce that was left in the crockpot went into small dishes for dipping our sandwiches into.
Can I express to you how happy this successful supper made me?! I doubt it. It was delicious and I would only do three things different with this sandwich.
- I would butter the rolls after slicing them and then fry them slightly to get a buttery crisp on the roll before assembling the sandwich.
- Along with the caramelized onions, I would throw in a huge handful of fresh mushrooms and saute them too!
- I would add more water to the beef as it is cooking. The sauce was plenty salty and there wasn’t a whole lot left.
This was a huge and definite thumbs up! Even the kids liked them, so they will be going on our rotating menu plan. And I was especially tickled to have sourdough rolls that were so easy to whip up and actually were successful. Next time I would like to try this recipe using elk meat.
Chopped Broccoli Salad with Cherries and Feta
Again, this was a good salad . . . but I can’t say it got a huge thumbs up. I liked the cherries and feta, but my onion was incredibly strong. (although that was no fault of the recipe, just my onion) At least Lowell ate some with me, so we shared the same smelly breath all evening!
There is honey in the dressing, and I couldn’t quite get myself used to having my honey and broccoli together in the same bite. What I would probably do next time is use my old, regular broccoli salad dressing recipe, but maybe add cherries and feta to the salad.
So that’s it for this Taste of the Shoe!
Have any of you tried a new recipe lately?
I’d love to hear what it was – and a link would be awesome so I can perhaps try it sometime!
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Christine says
Your sandwich looks very delicious. Doesn’t help that it is lunchtime here. We tried Hog Maw Casserole from Gina at Homejoys and it is a “make it again” dish for here.
Kendra says
I saw her recipe and pinned it! Glad to hear someone has tried it and like it.