Boeuf au Jus French Dip Sandwich

I am a collector of bones. At any given time, a peek inside my freezer will find Ziploc bags full of chicken or beef bones that have been trimmed from roasts, steaks, or bone-in chicken breasts waiting to be roasted and then turned into the best stock for soups, stews, sauces or as the base for a great French Dip Sandwich. I like this sandwich with thinly sliced rare grilled steak as well but sometimes I give that steak a short soak in the jus which gives it the flavour of slow roasted beef, as shown in the photo. Red Onion Jam is the only condiment necessary on this classic sandwich, especially when made on great French bread like the mini baguettes that were recently featured on this blog. Find those recipes at these links. Red Onion Jam & French Baguette 

I like to make stock in the oven because of the slow simmer that can be achieved. This makes for a much more clear stock instead f the cloudy stock you sometimes get from rapid boiling on the stovetop. It is also much less fussy than constantly attending to a boiling pot on the stovetop.

Basic Beef Stock

In a large covered enamel roaster add:

5-7 pounds beef bones
4 cloves chopped garlic
1 large chopped onion
salt and pepper to season
3 large carrots, cut in 1 inch sections
2 stalks celery

Roast the bones at 350 degrees F for about 45 minutes until they are well browned and the carrots are tender. Cover the bones with 3 to 4 litres of water.

At this point,depending on how you want to use the stock, you can add your favorite fresh herbs like thyme or rosemary or add tomatoes or parsnip to further flavour the stock. Return the roaster to the oven, covered for 2 to 3 hours. Strain the finished stock through a fine seive. Chill and skim off all the fat. If you want very clear stock you can seive it again with a coffee filter inside the seive. Freeze the stock in small airtight containers. Stock can also be frozen in ice cube trays and then frozen in Ziploc bags for later use. This is great for when you need a small amount of stock for sauces or stir-fry recipes.

To make the jus to dip your sandwich in, allow 1/2 cup of this stock  per sandwich. Warm the stock by simmering in a small saucepan along with

a few peppercorns
spash red wine
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
fresh thyme, rosemary or sage sprigs

Simmer for 5 to ten minutes before serving beside the sandwich as a dip.


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