Open-Faced Roast Beef Sandwich with Quick Pan Gravy

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A blue-plate classic built for leftover roast or a half pound of thin-sliced deli beef. The whole dish hangs on the gravy: onions browned hard in butter, a proper roux, beef broth, and a splash of soy and Worcestershire to fake hours of roasting in ten minutes. Pour it over soft white bread, piled beef, and a scoop of mashed potatoes until nothing on the plate is dry.

Ingredients

• 2 lb russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
• 1 tbsp kosher salt, for the cooking water
• 3/4 cup whole milk, warmed
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• kosher salt and black pepper

• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups beef broth, low-sodium
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1 pinch dried thyme
• black pepper and kosher salt

• 1 lb cooked roast beef, thinly sliced (leftover roast or deli-sliced rare roast beef)
• 4 slices soft white sandwich bread or Texas toast
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter, softened, for the bread
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Instructions

1. Put the potato chunks in a large saucepan, cover with cold water by 1 inch, add 1 tablespoon kosher salt, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a strong simmer and cook 15 to 18 minutes, until a knife slides through a chunk with no resistance.
2. While the potatoes cook, start the gravy: melt 4 tablespoons butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook 7 to 9 minutes, stirring often, until soft and deeply golden at the edges — this browning is where the flavor comes from, so don't rush it.
3. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir constantly for 2 minutes; the mixture will look like wet sand and smell nutty. Keep it moving so it toasts but doesn't scorch.
4. Pour in the beef broth about 1/2 cup at a time, whisking smooth after each addition before adding more. Once all the broth is in, add the Worcestershire, soy sauce, onion powder, thyme, and a generous 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.
5. Bring the gravy to a bare simmer and cook 6 to 8 minutes, whisking now and then, until it thickly coats the back of a spoon. Taste and add salt only if needed — the broth and soy carry a lot. Keep warm over the lowest heat.
6. Drain the potatoes and return them to the hot dry pot for 30 seconds to steam off moisture. Mash with 4 tablespoons butter, then work in the warm milk a splash at a time until fluffy and scoopable. Season with salt and plenty of black pepper. Cover to keep hot.
7. Slide the sliced roast beef into the simmering gravy, turn off the heat, and let it sit for 2 to 3 minutes just to warm through. Do not let it boil or the beef will toughen and go gray.
8. Toast the bread lightly and butter one side. Set one slice on each plate. Using tongs, lift the beef from the gravy and pile it over the bread, letting the slices ruffle rather than lie flat.
9. Add a big scoop of mashed potatoes alongside, half on the bread and half on the plate. Ladle hot gravy generously over the beef, the potatoes, and the exposed corners of bread — about 1/2 cup per plate. Scatter with parsley and serve immediately with a fork and knife.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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