The French Dip Sandwich

Alexandria shares with us one of her favorite recipes from her time in France as she brings to life this delicious sandwich with our Take & Bake Baguette.

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For a couple of months in my college years, I lived in Europe, and, in typical foodie fashion, ate my way around every country that I had the chance to visit.

One of my very favorite countries was France, and I came home shouting that French food was the best cuisine on the planet. One of the biggest reasons? The bread of course!

After I returned home, I looked high and low for bread that tasted just like the delicious baguettes I had had abroad, but my search came up short. I couldn’t find anything that transported me back to Paris like those delightful baguettes I had eaten under the Eiffel Tower.

That is, until I found La Brea. La Brea Bakery’s Take and Bake French Baguette is crusty on the outside but fluffy on the inside, and when I bite into it, I could close my eyes and see myself on Avenue des Champs-Élysées.

The French Dip Sandwich recipe we’ve made here may not actually have originated in France, but it still needs the perfect French baguette to really pull the whole recipe together! This sandwich is filled with abundant umami-flavor, smothered in cheese, dripping with a flavorful aus jus, and resting on delicious crusty bread. It’s foodie heaven!

Cooking The Steak

French Dip Sandwiches vary in their preparation, some using chuck roast, roast beef, or fresh steak cuts. For this recipe, I chose to go with ribeye steaks cooked in a cast iron skillet.

Using a cast iron skillet is my very favorite way to cook steak cuts like ribeye or filet. Searing them on the cast iron gives them a flavorful crust on the outside, and then transferring them to the oven ensures that they finish with a perfectly cooked interior. Just make sure that you open a window before following the instructions to cook your steak, as it can get a little smokey!

Aus Jus

The steak is such a delicious part of this recipe, but it’s the aus jus and the bread that puts the scrumptious-meter over the edge. The aus jus is a simple broth/gravy that is made by combining beef broth, red wine, garlic, and the drippings from cooking your meat, and whisking them on a medium heat.

You can omit the red wine if you’d prefer, and you could also experiment by adding a bit of worcestershire sauce for some extra kick!

La Brea Baguette

Of course, the piece that pulls the entire meal together is the La Brea Take and Bake Baguette. I love that with only 8-10 minutes in the oven, I have the perfect slice of bread for this sandwich! Plus, putting the bread under the broiler gives it a nice, toasty finish for a perfect crunch.

Oh, and don’t forget to cut your sandwich in half on an angle so you have the PERFECT corner, just the right shape for dipping 😉

My family has made this recipe time and again, with it always falling under the category of “Top 5 Favorite Meals” in our house! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Sandwich Ingredients:

    • 2, 1 lb Ribeye steaks
    • 2 tsp kosher salt
    • 2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
    • 2 tbsp avocado oil or vegetable oil
    • 1 package La Brea Bakery Take and Bake French Baguette
    • 6 slices provolone cheese
    • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
    • 1-2 tbsp olive oil (optional)
    • 1 onion, sliced (optional)
    • ¼ tsp salt (optional)

Au Jus Ingredients:

    • 2 cups beef broth
    • 1/4 cup red wine
    • 2 tsp garlic

Steak Instructions:

    1. Drizzle each steak with ½ tbsp of avocado oil, then season both sides of the steak with kosher salt and black pepper.
    2. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
    3. While the oven is preheating, place a cast iron skillet on your stove on high heat, and drizzle with 1 tbsp of avocado oil. Heat until very hot (almost smoking).
    4. At this point, add the ribeye to the pan and cook for 2 minutes on each side, until a crust forms. Then, flip the steak and allow it to cook for another 2 minutes until a crust forms on the other side.
    5. Place the cast iron in the oven. Cook for 4 minutes for rare, 5-6 minutes for medium rare, 6-7 minutes for medium, and 8-9 minutes for medium well.
    6. Remove from the oven and put the steak on a cutting board (do not discard the juices in the cast iron!) and allow the steak to rest for 5-10 minutes.
    7. Once rested, slice the steak against the grain very thinly.

Au Jus Instructions:

    1. Heat all au jus ingredients plus the drippings from the cast iron in a saucepan over medium high heat. Bring just below a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, whisking occasionally. When done, remove from heat.

Assembly Instructions:

    1. If you are making the onions, place the cast iron skillet back on the stove and add your olive oil to the pan. Add the sliced onions and sprinkle with the salt. Stir over medium heat until the onions are soft and slightly translucent, or about 10 minutes. Set aside.
    2. Bake the La Brea Bakery Take and Bake French Baguette according to the package instructions. When cooked, remove the bread from the oven and allow it to cool.
    3. Use a serrated knife to cut the baguette in half lengthwise, opening it up to see the center. Place the baguettes on a cookie sheet. Melt 2 tbsp of butter in the microwave and brush the bottom slice of the baguette with butter. On the top half, lay slices of provolone cheese.
    4. Turn the oven to a low broil and put the baguettes (on the cookie sheet) in the oven for about 3 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the bread is toasted.
    5. Remove from the oven and add the sliced steak and (optional) onions. Put the top and bottom of the sandwich together, then use your serrated knife to cut the baguette in half with a diagonal slice (perfect for dipping!).
    6. Dip each bite of your French Dip in au jus and enjoy!