Hot Roast Beef Sandwiches

What is it about this time of year that makes me want to make big batches of stuff to hand out? Take for example these hot roast beef sandwiches – I want to make a bunch of these to give to carolers that might randomly show up at our house to sing us Christmas songs. I would be like. “Oh, that’s so nice! What do I have to give you as our thanks? Oh, here we go — how about some hot roast beef sandwiches that have been warming in the oven? They have an oozy, creamy pepper jack cheese sauce – they’re delicious!” Then I would hand out the individually wrapped sandwiches while a chorus of ‘thank yous’ rings all around.

Okay, so that probably won’t happen – I can’t remember the last time carolers showed up (does anyone still do that?) – but there are lots of other good reasons to make these sandwiches. Maybe for those nights when there’s too much going on to sit down for an actual dinner. These can be made up fast and kept in the oven – everyone can just grab one and go. Or, maybe for tailgating? They could be kept warm in one of those bag warmers until it’s time to serve them from the back of a car. Or, they can be made ahead and reheated for lunch – I love a hot sandwich for lunch. So you see, they’re not just for Christmas carolers.

So this is what you do… First, buy the good roast beef from the deli – about a 1/2 pound is good for 4-6 sandwiches – and ask for it thinly sliced. Also, pick out some nice soft rolls – I bought some onion rolls, but get whatever makes you happy. When you’re ready to make the sandwiches all you need to do is preheat the oven to 350 degrees and then make some cheese sauce (the best part!) – melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a small pan, sprinkle in 1 tablespoon of flour and stir, then add about 1/2 cup of milk and bring to a simmer. Then stir in about 1/2 of a cup of grated pepper jack cheese and keep stirring until it’s melted and the sauce thickens to a nice consistency (double the amounts if you want to make more than 4 sandwiches). Pile some roast beef on each roll, top with plenty of cheese sauce (I like mine extra saucy), wrap each sandwich in tin foil and then pop them in the oven for about 20 minutes or so – just until they’re nice and warmed through. Then just kick back and wait for the carolers to show up.

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