(Now, there’s a recipe title if there ever was one!)

Having already posted a recipe for an easy, delicious homemade au jus – Homemade Au Jus (no drippings required) and my recipe for Caramelized Onions, I thought I should also provide you with the other culinary parts that I consider to be required for the perfect French Dip Ground Beef Sandwich. (Of course, each of these components could be used in other dishes, but I’m sure you would have figured that out for yourself!)  

1 – Easy Soft French Baguettes, 2 – Seasoned Ground Beef Patties, 3 – Caramelized Onions, and 4 – Homemade Au Jus (No Drippings Required)

But seriously, all 4 used in combination for these sandwiches make for one tasty dining experience. Perfectly seasoned ground beef patties, placed on the bottom half of a soft and tasty baguette, then topped with caramelized onions, the top half of the baguette placed lovingly over the whole mess, and before each bite taken, dipped in a marvelous tasting au jus. (Please no bad marks from academics who might take umbrage at that last sentence. I penned it fully aware of what I was doing, including length, grammatical errors, and all!)  

To continue, I made these sandwiches the other night for dinner. And every part of the sandwich was a success.

Now I’m not going to expect those of you who aren’t retired to arrive home in the evening and whip up these tasty sandwiches for your adoring family. That would be going above and beyond the call of duty. But on a weekend? Even then that might be asking a bit much. So, cheat. (That’s what I would have done while I was still gainfully employed.) Delight in buying baguettes and au jus in package or liquid form. But the seasoned ground beef part is easy. So are the caramelized onions. So, if you are going to expend any effort in the making of these sandwiches, do so on the parts (patties and onions) that can’t be purchased at your local grocery store.  

But, if you are like me, a lover of all things homemade and with adequate time to spend on meal preparation, make every bit of this sandwich from scratch. It will be totally worth your effort. Let the fun begin.

And as always, peace and love to all.  

EASY SOFT FRENCH BAGUETTES

1 c. warm water

1 tsp. granulated sugar

1½ tsp. active dry yeast

1 tsp. kosher salt

1½ tsp. extra virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing the mixing bowl

2½ – 3 c. unbleached all-purpose flour

1 sm. egg

Combine the warm water, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of your stand mixer. Let sit for 5 minutes or until you see the yeast starting to bubble. Add the kosher salt, olive oil, and 2 cups of the flour to the mixing bowl. Using your dough hook, mix on low speed until thoroughly combined.

Add in enough of the remaining flour to form an elastic, smooth dough ball that pulls away from the sides of the bowl. This will take about 5-6 minutes.

Add a small bit of olive oil to the bowl, and using a stiff rubber spatula and your clean hands, form the dough into an evenly greased ball. Cover with a clean kitchen tea towel and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, between 60-90 minutes.  

Divide the dough into fourths. Place a small amount of flour on a clean surface and flour your hands. Stretch and pat each piece of dough until it is about 5-inches long.

Place the formed baguettes onto a parchment paper lined baguette pan* or a greased baking sheet. Make a few slashes diagonally across each baguette. Cover with your tea towel and allow to rise another 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425-degress after the first 15 minutes of rising time. Also, place about 8 ice cubes in a small cake pan. 

After the dough has risen for 30 minutes, place the pan in the pre-heated oven on the middle rack and the pan containing ice cubes on the bottom rack. Then quickly close the oven door.

Bake the baguettes for a total of 20 minutes. After placing the baguettes in the oven, whisk the egg in a small bowl. At minute 12, pull the bread out of the oven, and spread the baguettes lightly with the egg wash. Return the pan to the oven for an additional 8 minutes or until the bread is a deep golden brown and the internal temperature reads between 190 and 200-degrees. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

This recipe can easily be doubled.

*See a picture of the type of baguette pan I use under my recipe for Thin Sourdough French Baguettes.

SEASONED GROUND BEEF PATTIES

1 lb. lean ground beef

1½ tsp. Monterey Steak Seasoning

freshly ground black pepper (just a bit)

extra virgin olive oil

Mix the ground beef, Monterey Steak Seasoning, and pepper together. Divide the meat into 4 equal portions (about 4-oz. each). Shape each portion into a rounded rectangular patty a little less than ½-inch thick, to match the shape of whatever roll you are using.

Pour just a bit of olive oil in a frypan and let the oil heat until it begins to shimmer. Place the formed meat in the pan and cook, flipping once, until golden brown on both sides and cooked to medium doneness, about 8 minutes total.

Remove the burgers from the pan. Scrape any juices or brown bits left in the frypan in with the au jus you are using. (The more flavor in your au jus, the better.)

CARAMELIZED ONIONS

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 T. unsalted butter

1 lg. yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced

pinch kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

pinch dried thyme leaves

Heat the olive oil and butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and caramelized, about 30 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and thyme and continue to cook for 3 minutes.

Caramelized onions can be made ahead and refrigerated. Warm before serving.

HOMEMADE AU JUS

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

½ c. chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, finely minced  

¼ c. dry red or white wine (I’ve used both, and either one is great)

2 T. Worcestershire sauce

½ tsp. Kitchen Bouquet, or more to taste

freshly ground black pepper

4 c. water

2 T. Better Than Bouillon Beef base, or more to taste

Heat the olive oil in a heavy saucepan. Add the onion and cook until soft. Add the garlic and cook for a minute or two more.

Deglaze the pan with wine, then add the Worcestershire sauce, Kitchen Bouquet, and black pepper. Cook for another minute, stirring constantly.

Add water and beef base; bring to a light boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes.

Can be made ahead and warmed just before serving.

PUTTING THE SANDWICH ALL TOGETHER

Place the burgers on the bottom half of the baguette. Top with a good spoonful of the caramelized onions and the top half of the roll. Serve with the warm au jus on the side for dipping.