Traditions. Mary Walton's Hot Roast Beef Sandwiches.
Another of our favorite traditions involves food.
Of course it does.
Every year on Christmas Day I make Mary Walton's Hot Roast Beef Sandwiches. Who is Mary Walton you ask? When I was a kid we spent a few years living in Florida (which cured my of any desire to ever live in Florida, but I digress). Mary Walton was our neighbor.
I don't know that I appreciated her Hot Roast Beef Sandwiches as a kid. I had an aversion to gravy then, because I was plum out of my mind.
Now that I'm an adult, I recognize the brilliance that is gravy and I love this recipe. Once I made it for my meat loving husband that was it. He was a fan.
When I was first learning to cook, I thought this recipe was challenging. Roasting meat. Making homemade gravy. It just all seemed so daunting.
And messy. In the early years, I'd be scrubbing gravy of the stove top for 3 days after making this. My perception made this recipe seem so hard, so I never wanted to make it, but Chad always wanted to eat it. So as a compromise I committed to making it at least one day a year - Christmas.
Plus in the early years when we couldn't afford presents a day long roast beef fest was all that boy wanted anyway.
Over the years that recipe has become much easier. I've tweaked the preparation to eliminate the mess. I've learned homemade gravy is pretty darn easy. Now I make this dinner a few times a year at least, but it is still the highlight of Christmas day.
Someday, my lovelies, you are going to grow up and go off on your own. You may even be somewhere without my for Christmas (gulp) and you'll be dying for a Roast Beef Sandwhich like your momma used to make, so without further ado, I give you...
Mary Walton's Hot Roast Beef Sandwiches
8 T butter
1 small onion sliced
8 T flour
2-4 beef bullion cubes
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
2 T Worcestershire Sauce
Sirloin Tip Roast (approx 1/2 lb per person)
Roast the meat the night before. Uncovered, plain at 325 degrees, until the internal temperature reaches 150 - 160 degrees (about medium rare). I let it cool and then put it in the fridge over night. You want the meat to be completely cool before you slice, so you don't lose any of the juice. Also be sure to trim all the fat off the meat.
Melt butter in a frying pan. Add and saute the onions until brown. Remove the onion, stir in flour and permit to brown. Slowly stir in 4 C of beef stock (1 bullion cube per cup of hot water). Add pan drippings from the meat. Season with salt, paprika and WOR sauce. Bring to a boil. Taste and add additional seasoning as needed. (note: I always add more WOR sauce, because I love it.)
Put sliced meat in a large crock pot and cover with gravy. Cook on low for several hours until the meat is very tender. You might have to add a bit more water if the gravy gets too thick.
I serve it on toasted rolls with mashed potatoes.
On second thought, my darling daughters, perhaps I'll redact this recipe later, so you have to come home to me on Christmas in order to get your Roast Beef fix.
Sneaky, huh?
Of course it does.
Every year on Christmas Day I make Mary Walton's Hot Roast Beef Sandwiches. Who is Mary Walton you ask? When I was a kid we spent a few years living in Florida (which cured my of any desire to ever live in Florida, but I digress). Mary Walton was our neighbor.
I don't know that I appreciated her Hot Roast Beef Sandwiches as a kid. I had an aversion to gravy then, because I was plum out of my mind.
Now that I'm an adult, I recognize the brilliance that is gravy and I love this recipe. Once I made it for my meat loving husband that was it. He was a fan.
When I was first learning to cook, I thought this recipe was challenging. Roasting meat. Making homemade gravy. It just all seemed so daunting.
And messy. In the early years, I'd be scrubbing gravy of the stove top for 3 days after making this. My perception made this recipe seem so hard, so I never wanted to make it, but Chad always wanted to eat it. So as a compromise I committed to making it at least one day a year - Christmas.
Plus in the early years when we couldn't afford presents a day long roast beef fest was all that boy wanted anyway.
Over the years that recipe has become much easier. I've tweaked the preparation to eliminate the mess. I've learned homemade gravy is pretty darn easy. Now I make this dinner a few times a year at least, but it is still the highlight of Christmas day.
Someday, my lovelies, you are going to grow up and go off on your own. You may even be somewhere without my for Christmas (gulp) and you'll be dying for a Roast Beef Sandwhich like your momma used to make, so without further ado, I give you...
Mary Walton's Hot Roast Beef Sandwiches
8 T butter
1 small onion sliced
8 T flour
2-4 beef bullion cubes
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
2 T Worcestershire Sauce
Sirloin Tip Roast (approx 1/2 lb per person)
Roast the meat the night before. Uncovered, plain at 325 degrees, until the internal temperature reaches 150 - 160 degrees (about medium rare). I let it cool and then put it in the fridge over night. You want the meat to be completely cool before you slice, so you don't lose any of the juice. Also be sure to trim all the fat off the meat.
Melt butter in a frying pan. Add and saute the onions until brown. Remove the onion, stir in flour and permit to brown. Slowly stir in 4 C of beef stock (1 bullion cube per cup of hot water). Add pan drippings from the meat. Season with salt, paprika and WOR sauce. Bring to a boil. Taste and add additional seasoning as needed. (note: I always add more WOR sauce, because I love it.)
Put sliced meat in a large crock pot and cover with gravy. Cook on low for several hours until the meat is very tender. You might have to add a bit more water if the gravy gets too thick.
I serve it on toasted rolls with mashed potatoes.
On second thought, my darling daughters, perhaps I'll redact this recipe later, so you have to come home to me on Christmas in order to get your Roast Beef fix.
Sneaky, huh?
Comments