The Roast Beast Master with Crispy Onions and Creamy Horseradish Sauce

There's a good chance I made this sandwich just because it's called The Roast Beast Master (come on, that's pretty hard to resist). It feels powerful (and I guess with fried onions and horseradish sauce, it is). It's definitely satisfying, but not exactly an everyday sandwich, since it requires deep frying the onions. But I think they're a huge part of the appeal since you get to eat the extras on the side.

 

THE ROAST BEAST MASTER WITH CRISPY ONIONS

AND CREAMY HORSERADISH SAUCE

Yield: 4 servings

Creamy Horseradish Sauce:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup prepared horseradish

2 teaspoons honey

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Crispy Onions:

2 cups buttermilk

2 onions, thinly sliced root to tip

vegetable oil, for frying

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne

2 teaspoons paprika

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Sandwich Build:

4 large fresh onion rolls, buttered and toasted until golden

4 thick slices sharp cheddar

1 pound good-quality rare roast beef, sliced thin

1.      For the horseradish sauce: In a bowl, mix the mayonnaise, sour cream, horseradish, honey and Dijon. Season with salt and pepper.

2.      For the onions: Pour the buttermilk over the onions and let them sit for about 30 minutes.

3.      Heat 3 inches of oil to 350º F in a medium Dutch oven.

4.      Whisk together the flour, cayenne, paprika and some salt and pepper. Remove the onions from the buttermilk and toss them in the flour until thoroughly coated. Fry in batches until the batter is golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Let drain on paper towels and season with salt while hot.

5.      For the sandwich build: On the toasted onion rolls, begin with a slice of cheddar, pile the meat high, add as many crispy onions as the sandwich will hold and schmear the top bun with a healthy portion of horseradish sauce.

barely tweaked from Jeff Mauro

horseradish sauce ingredients

horseradish sauce

onions soaking in buttermilk

I decided to soak my onion in a ziploc bag and then pour out
the buttermilk. I probably should have drained the onions instead
because I think a little too much buttermilk may have stayed behind.

flour and spices

I poured the flour mixture right into the bag of soaked onions
and it was a little gummy. That's why I think there was too
much buttermilk left behind in the bag. But I moved ahead.

onions frying

fried onions

cheddar cheese layer

roast beef layer

Actually, that's london broil (it looked
better than the roast beef at the store).

onion layer (about to be topped off with a
bun top slathered with horseradish mayo)

I didn't have onion rolls, but I'll bet that's great.

The Roast Beast Master with Crispy Onions
and Creamy Horseradish Sauce

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Spicy Maple Mayonnaise (on Chicken & Waffle Sandwiches)

I came across a recipe for chicken & waffle sandwiches that looked fantastic. Only I didn't have time to make the fried chicken from scratch and I had some fancy waffle mix burning a whole in my kitchen cabinet, so I cheated and took shortcuts. I used Bell & Evans chicken tenders and the aforementioned waffle mix and proceeded to follow the rest of the original recipe. The only part I made from scratch was this spicy maple mayonnaise, which I recommend trying. It was scrumptious and I'm sure it taste great on all kinds of sandwiches.
 

SPICY MAPLE MAYONNAISE

Yield: 1 ¼ cups

1 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon mustard powder

1 teaspoon horseradish
dash or two of hot sauce (such as tabasco)

Mix all ingredients together until smooth. Can be made 1-2 days ahead.

barely adapted from foodnetwork.com by Julie Ohnstad, Atlanta, GA

all the ingredients

spicy maple mayonnaise

CHICKEN & WAFFLE SANDWICHES FOR CHEATERS & SHORTCUT TAKERS

Yield: 4 servings

8 waffles, kept warm

12 slices applewood smoked bacon, cooked until crispy and drained

12 Bell & Evans breaded chicken breast tenders, cooked according to package directions

8 slices sharp cheddar

Spicy Maple Mayonnaise (recipe above)

1.      Preheat broiler.

2.      Lay 4 waffle halves on a sheetpan. Top each with 3 chicken tenders, 3 slices bacon and 2 slices cheddar.

3.      Broil the sandwiches just until the cheese melts (careful, it doesn’t take long).

4.      Spread about 3 tablespoons spicy maple mayonnaise on the top waffle and place on the sandwich.

waffles

chicken tenders

bacon

cheddar

melted

spicy maple mayonnaise on waffle

chicken & waffle sandwich

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Roasted Pepper and Goat Cheese Sandwiches

I love everything about this sandwich. Goat cheese is one of my favorites and these marinated roasted peppers with the basil are nothing short of scrumptious. They add such a great freshness that is kind of lacking in the winter months. It's as close to having a plump, fresh tomato as you can get in March. Add some salty capers and chewy ciabatta and I was in sandwich heaven.

ROASTED PEPPER AND GOAT CHEESE SANDWICHES

Yield:  4 to 6 servings

4 large red or yellow bell peppers, preferably Holland

2 tablespoons good olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (increase if omitting capers)

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons drained capers

For assembling:

1 large ciabatta bread, halved horizontally

11 oz. garlic-and-herb or plain goat cheese (recommended: Montrachet) at room temperature

8 to 10 large basil leaves

3 thin slices red onion

1.      Preheat the oven to 500º F.

2.      Place the whole peppers on a sheet pan and place in the oven for 45 to 60 minutes, until the skins are completely wrinkled and the peppers are charred, turning them two or three times during roasting. Remove the pan from the oven and immediately cover it tightly with aluminum foil. Set aside for 30 minutes, or until the peppers are cool enough to handle.

3.      Meanwhile, combine the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.

4.      Remove the stem from each pepper and cut or rip them in quarters. Remove the peels and seeds and place the peppers in a bowl along with any juices that have collected. Discard the stems, peels, and seeds. Pour the oil and vinegar mixture over the peppers. Stir in the capers. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to blend.

5.      To assemble the sandwiches, spread the bottom half of the loaf with the goat cheese. Add a layer of peppers and then a layer of basil leaves. Separate the onions into rings and spread out on top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover with the top half of the ciabatta and cut into individual servings.

barely adapted from Ina Garten

red peppers

roasted red peppers

marinade ingredients

I added extra garlic because I was using plain goat cheese.

roasted red peppers with marinade & capers

marinated roasted peppers

spreading goat cheese on ciabatta

I didn't use the whole loaf - I was
only making enough for two people.

marinated roasted pepper layer

topped with basil and red onion

roasted pepper and goat cheese sandwich

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