Neither French nor a dip, the French dip sandwich typically features roast beef, French bread, and au jus on the side. Additional touches commonly include cheese, onions and sometimes horseradish. Like many classic dishes, more than one origin story is told about the French dip. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the sandwich was born in Los Angeles in the early 20th century at one of two spots.
Who came up with the “French Dip” sandwich?
Two restaurants, Philippe The Original and Cole’s, both still in business, claim ownership. According to lore, founder Philippe Mathieu invented the sandwich in 1918 when he accidentally dropped a French roll into a juice-filled roasting pan and a customer said he would eat the “dipped” sandwich anyway. Cole’s, however, says it created the sandwich in 1908, possibly for a customer with sore gums, who allegedly requested that the crunchy bread be softened with meat juice. We aren’t here to authenticate claims; we are just grateful someone created it! And nothing is more filling and comforting than a toasty French dip at camp. Here’s my take on the classic, with a couple of shortcuts for the campground. This recipe will feed four to six campers.
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 package au jus gravy mix
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¾ teaspoon dried minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- Heavy duty Foil
- 1 long baguette
- 1 pound rare deli roast beef
- 12 slices provolone cheese
Instructions
- Get your campfire going or preheat your grill to 400 degrees.
- Make the butter spread mixture by combining butter, 1 tablespoon au jus gravy mix, Worcestershire sauce, dried minced garlic and onion powder.
- Stir until ingredients are completely combined, then put equal amounts in two bowls and set aside. Tip: this could be made in advance at home and allowed to come to room temperature at camp.
- Cut the baguette into equal parts of about 6-10 inches in length.
- Make an odd number of thin cuts into each piece of the baguette, but make sure you only cut about three-quarters of the way through. You need an odd number because this is a pull-apart sandwich.
Instructions continued:
- Take one bowl of the butter mix and spread a small amount of the mixture inside each slice of bread.
- Take 1 slice of cheese, fold in half and place along with 1 piece of roast beef in between every two “slices” of bread.
- Take the other half of the butter mixture and brush it along the tops and sides of each of the sandwiches with a pastry brush.
- Wrap each baguette section securely in foil.
- Place the wrapped section over the fire on a grill or on the preheated grill for 6-9 minutes (turn frequently).
- While the sandwiches are cooking, prepare the au jus. Take the remaining au jus mixture and place it in a small saucepan over medium heat.
- Add 2 cups of cold water and whisk.
- Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer to allow it to slightly thicken. Tip: to save time and mess, you can make this ahead of time and simply reheat it at camp.
- Remove the foil packs from the heat source.
- Unwrap, pull the sandwiches apart and serve with the au jus sauce.
This article by Kim Foley MacKinnon was originally published in Girl Camper Magazine.
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