Open faced sandwiches are a southern staple. Thank goodness for that because who doesn't love a gigantic plate of bread, meat, potatoes, and gravy? Think these sound amazing already? Well hang on to your chairs, folks. It gets even better. These sandwiches are made in a slow cooker and what busy mother (or father or what the heck anyone at all for that matter) doesn't love a slow cooker recipe? I enjoy a slow cooker recipe because most are simple, simple, simple. This recipe is a little more work than some slow cooker meals, but it certainly isn't one that will disappoint.
Whenever I am making a slow cooker meal I always prep everything the night before. It makes it very easy the next morning because all you have to do is plug in the crock pot and turn it on.
I combine the beef cut, a large pinch of red pepper flakes, thyme, beef stock and Worcestershire sauce in a large crock pot and then let it sit in the fridge overnight.
I combine the beef cut, a large pinch of red pepper flakes, thyme, beef stock and Worcestershire sauce in a large crock pot and then let it sit in the fridge overnight.
The next morning I pull the crock pot out of the fridge, plug it in, and cook for about 6-7 hours on low. You can tell it is finished when the beef can easily be pulled apart.
When the beef is finished cooking I use two folks to pick apart the meat. I turn the crock pot off at this point, but leave the shredded meat in the pot so it can soak in the wonderful meat drippings. Mmmmm...I could eat it just like this, but a homemade gravy is almost a necessity when eating roast beef. It would be a shame to let all of those yummy meat drippings go to waste!
I have never understood why people buy the gravy in a jar when it is so very simple and much more delicious to make your own. You can quickly and easily thicken up the juices around the meat by adding a roux to the drippings.
What's a roux (pronounced: rue or roo)? A roux is a thickening agent that is made from equal parts of some form of fat (most of the time oil or butter) and flour.
I start my roux by bringing 1/2 cup vegetable oil to a pan that is over medium high heat. Then I slowly add 1/2 cup flour to the oil. I add mine about an 1/8 of a cup at a time.
A little side note about a roux: different rouxs are made to go in different dishes. The length of time that you allow the roux to cook effects the depth of the flavor the roux will add to the dish. A roux can go through four different color stages. The science behind a roux is actually really exciting and interesting, but I won't bore you anymore with all of that. My guess is I am probably boring you already....
I am going to make a light-medium brown roux to add to the meat drippings. I continue to whisk the flour and fat mixture the entire time it is over heat because the color changes occur quite quickly. As you can see below, the mixture is a light tan type of color at first.
After about two minutes of whisking, the mixture has completely changed color and is a perfect base for my gravy!
I add the roux to the crock pot and mix well.
At this point you may be thinking, "That doesn't look like it made a bit of a difference."
Patience my friends. A good gravy needs to be given a moment to thicken. If you have the time to wait, then you can leave the entire mixture in the crock pot and continue to cook it on low for an additional hour or so. However, I am much too impatient for that, so I pour the entire contents of the crock pot into a sauce pan and place on the stove top over medium heat. I allow the contents to come to a boil and then reduce the heat to simmer. Within fifteen minutes the mixture will be thick, spoon-clinging, and perfect!
Now it's time for the potatoes. Those that know me well, know that I love mashed potatoes. You could go as far as to say that they are my favorite vegetable dish. However, I used to barely ever make them at home because it takes too long to peel, boil, and then mix up the potatoes. Shew, it's exhausting even typing all those steps out. Anyhow, I saw a recipe for mashed potatoes a couple years ago that didn't call for peeling the potatoes before boiling them. What a stellar idea! Why didn't I ever think of this?!? I haven't made potatoes with the skins removed since.
A give five potatoes a rough chop, trying to keep the pieces about the same size so they will have a similar cook time.
I then add the potatoes to a pot of salted water over high heat. I let the potatoes boil until they can easily be punctured with a fork. This typically takes about 10 - 12 minutes.
Then I strain the potatoes...
...and pour the potato pieces into a mixing bowl. After a long days work the last thing I want is a bicep workout from hand mashing, so I just dump everything in our kitchen aid mixer and let it do the work.
I add butter and half and half and turn the mixer on medium speed. I allow my butter to come to room temp before I add it to the potatoes. Does it really matter what temp the butter is? No, but if it is cold butter you need to start the mixer on a low level and slowly work your way up to medium speed. Why you ask? Well, if your butter is cold and you turn the mixer on high speed to start you will have potatoes and butter flying out of the bowl. Just trust me. I speak from experience.
After everything has blended for about a minute I taste test and adjust until I get the flavor that I want.
About a minute later I have beautiful, fluffy potatoes. I add lots of fresh cracked salt and pepper and they are ready to go!
An open face roast beef can't be an open face roast beef without a slice or two of good bread. I picked up a french loaf of multi-grain bread from the bakery to use as a base for my sandwiches. You can use whatever you like best. A big slice of sourdough would probably be tastiest, but I was trying to make at least one component of this meal semi-healthy!
I slice the bread horizontally into two equal pieces...
...then vertically. I place the pieces of bread on a cookie sheet and turn the oven broiler on high. The slices of bread are going to be the base of the sandwich, so toasting them will allow the slices to stand up to the potatoes, roast beef, and gravy that will be piled on top.
I watch the bread closely while it is under the broiler because it will take no time at all to toast!
Now, it's finally time to put this heavenly dish all together. I start by putting bread on a plate as my base.
I add a heaping scoop of potatoes...
....and then top with the roast beef and gravy mixture. Tender, juicy, delicious, and filling! What more could you ask for?
Open Face Roast Beef Sandwiches
Ingredients
1 lb beef chuck roast (or similar cut of meat)
1 can beef broth
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon thyme
1 large pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup flour
5 medium - large russet potatoes
3/4 cup half and half
5 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper
4 slices bread
1. Place the roast, broth, Worcestershire sauce, thyme and red pepper flakes in a crock pot.
2. Cook the contents of the crock pot for 6-7 hours on low heat or until the roast easily flakes apart when pierced with a fork.
3. When the meat is fully cooked, break the it into chunks by pulling it apart with two forks.
4. Leave the contents in the crock pot and DO NOT drain the meat drippings.
5.Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium high heat. When the oil begins to ripple add the flour to the oil about 1/8 cup at a time. Whisk the mixture continuously while adding the flour.
6. After all flour is added to the oil, continue to whisk the mixture until it turns a medium-dark brown color. This will take about 3-4 minutes. This mixture is call a roux.
7. Add the roux to the crock pot and mix with the meat and drippings.
8. Allow the mixture to continue cooking in the crock pot for an additional hour or until the juices have thickened. (Note : If you would like to shorten this process then you can pour all of the contents into a sauce pan and place over medium heat on the stove. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the burner temperature to simmer. Continue to simmer the mixture about 15 minutes or until the juices have thickened.)
9. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil and chop the potatoes into bite size chunks.
10. When the water boils, add the potatoes and cook for 10-15 minutes or until tender.
11. Drain the potatoes and then pour the cooked potato pieces into a mixing bowl.
12. Add the butter and half and half to the potatoes and mix very well.
13. Salt and pepper the potatoes to your liking and set aside.
14. When the gravy is almost complete, turn the oven broiler on high and toast the slices of bread for one minute or until they are a light golden brown.
Plating Your Sandwich:
1. Place one or two slices of bread directly onto a plate.
2. Top the bread with a heaping scoop on whipped potatoes.
3. Use the back of a spoon to create a "hole" in the potatoes. Fill the hole with an overflowing amount of roast beef and gravy.
4. Serve with sauteed green beans or oven roasted carrots.
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