Sandwiches can be the ultimate comfort food for most people and French dip sandwiches are no exception.

Hot, tender roast beef nestled between a soft sandwich roll with a side of warm Au Jus. These savory sandwiches are a personal favorite of mine and were first introduced to me by my nana. She used to make this dish for her children when they were little and still makes it today for all her grandchildren.

A French dip sandwich is made with roast beef, a French roll and served with “Au Jus,” which means “with juice,” in French and is made from the juices from the roast beef. Many might not know that the French dip sandwiches is actually an American delicacy and is not a known dish in France.

According to whatscookingamerica.net, the inventor of the sandwich was Philippe Mathieu and started the sandwich shop “Philippe the Original” in Los Angeles. “According to the story at the restaurant, Philippe was preparing a sandwich for a policeman and accidentally dropped the sliced French roll into the drippings of a roasting pan. The policeman liked the sandwich and came back the next day with some friends to order the sandwich “dipped” in the meat pan.”

Making this recipe gluten-free can be relatively simple by just replacing the French rolls with gluten-free hot dog buns and making a homemade Au Jus sauce rather than just buying the cheap sauce packet at the supermarket.

This recipe was adapted from freelifeglutenfree.blogspot.com

Gluten-Free French Dip Sandwiches

½ pound roast beef, thinly sliced

4 hot dog buns or rolls

Au Jus

1 ½ cups beef broth or stock

1 tablespoon gluten-free Worcestershire sauce

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

In a pot over medium-high heat, mix in the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder. Cook for 10 minutes and then remove from heat. Set Au Jus aside.

Warm up the roast beef slices in the microwave for 30 seconds. If you don’t have the time cook up your own roast beef, get in your car and drive down to any deli for thinly sliced roast beef. It is a perfectly easy substitution for anyone who wants to make their French dip sandwiches quicker and not wait for the roast beef to cook.

Assemble the sandwiches by stacking the roast beef slices in between the bread. You can also add any your choice of cheese if desired.

For this recipe, I recommend using any type of gluten-free hot dog buns including Udi’s Gluten Free classic hot dog buns, which cost $5.99 or Eneg-G tapioca hot dog buns, which cost $5.59 and both can be found at Raley’s or Whole Foods Market.

Place sandwiches on a plate and pour Au Jus into a small bowl. Serve immediately.

Brittany Lambert can be reached at [email protected]