After last week’s lively debate on the pros and cons of long vs. short recipe titles (loved your thoughts, thank you), today I’m hitting you up with the whole shebang. Well, almost. I omitted a few ingredients from the title so as not to overwhelm.
At times I need to revise my menu plan to focus on the folks in front of me (’tis far, far better to spend time with people than my stove), and The Man Of Few Words has an unpredictable work schedule and an appetite to match. I never know if he’ll walk through the door ravenous as a grizzly or in ‘snack mode.’
My solution is to throw together whatever’s lurking in the fridge and present it in “new & improved” form (shhh…) and this sandwich was the result of one of those occasions.
Oven Baked Sandwich with Raspberry Balsamic Butter
1/2 loaf of Italian Bread (or other rustic-style bread), split horizontally
Slices of leftover Roast Beef
Slices of Sharp Cheddar cheese
Thinly sliced red onions (I used caramelized onions*)
Sliced mushrooms
Roasted red peppers, drained (I used the jarred kind)
Sea salt & freshly ground pepper
Red & green lettuce leaves
Raspberry Balsamic Butter
4 Tbsp. butter, softened
1 Tbsp. whole grain Dijon mustard
1/2 Tbsp. raspberry balsamic vinegar (or to taste)
1 Tbsp. capers, drained
(*Caramelized onions are marvelous in this, but they require at least an hour of prep, unless you happen to keep a stash on hand like me…)
Combine Raspberry Balsamic Butter ingredients; set aside.
Place a piece of tinfoil large enough to accommodate the “stuffed” sandwich on a sturdy baking sheet. Preheat oven to 375° F.
In a large skillet, sauté mushrooms until nearly browned. Add roasted red peppers (pat dry, if needed) and stir until heated through.
Slather interior of bread with Raspberry Balsamic Butter, then layer with roast beef and cheese slices. Top with caramelized (or red) onions, mushrooms and peppers. Season with salt and pepper. Close the sandwich (as best you can) and wrap in tinfoil.
Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until beef is heated through and cheese is melted. If you prefer a “crispier” sandwich, open the foil during the last 5 minutes of baking.
Transfer to a serving platter, insert lettuce leaves at will, slice, serve, and enjoy!
~ . ~ . ~ . ~
For you football fans out there, this is an easy ‘make-ahead’ for Superbowl weekend. Assemble earlier in the day, wrap and refrigerate, then heat and eat. (Adjust baking time as needed.) This made 4 servings; feel free to multiply.
Spend time with the people you love!
Enjoying punting in the kitchen,
~ Kim
Do you cook for a spontaneous eater?
Hello Kim, I enjoy a good sloppy sandwich and this seems like it would fill the need. What’s not to love? Good bread, roast beef, cheese, caramelized onion, mushrooms, peppers and balsamic. Sounds like a winner to me. My husband is not necessarily a spontaneous eater but I do like to be a spontaneous chef. FYI, we are still freezing up here with lots of snow and below 0 temps. Yuck. We are going to CA mid Feb., cannot wait. Take care and keep spreading the love. Jeanne
Jeanne, I love that! “I’m a spontaneous chef.” Yup! Your trip to CA sounds like some much needed mid-winter relief. I’m going to MN the end of February and it makes me cold just thinking about it! ;)
What a gorgeous sandwich! I absolutely adore the idea of the raspberry balsamic butter! YUMMY! :) I do cook with leftovers a lot and I like to revamp them as I see fit or as the hunger strikes: big or small!
Isabelle, I was gonna use ‘regular’ balsamic, but my daughter gave me a bottle of raspberry and the fruity kick added a nice contrast. I bet you come up with some fantastic “makeovers” … hmmm.. maybe that’s what we should call them? Makeovers sound better than leftovers, lol!
Hi Kim, what an interesting (and delicious sounding) sandwich! So many tasty ingredients.
Thank you, Liz! I meant it when I said it was the whole shebang. ;)
Kimmeee…homerun!! I’m really diggin’ the boholicious raspberry butter!
Ally, it was one of those times when I thought, “Hmmmm… raspberry balsamic… why not?” Boholicious indeed!
That raspberry and balsamic butter really hits the spot :D
Cheers
CCU
Hi, Uru! Yes, yes it did! :)
Kim, this looks delicious!
Thanks, Elizabeth! Sometimes a good, gooey sammich with a little hit of “unexpectedness” is just the thing!
That’s the best looking sandwich I’ve seen in a long time! I would love one of these! I love the sound of the raspberry balsamic too and I know what you mean by people arriving with a range of appetites xx
Charlie, the next frontier will be finding or creating a GF bread that will withstand an onslaught of ingredients of this magnitude. :) (This one was from my “pre-wheat-free” days.) My kitchen is wide open to ideas… me, too. You have a constant unpredictability factor in yours!
I am so going to try this. Do you have a brand of bread you recommend? I’m trying to cut back on the high fructose corn syrup in our diets. I could make my own–I have a bread maker.
Catherine, I used a homemade loaf for this — pretty much flour, water, yeast & salt (before my gluten-free days… haven’t tried making bread with GF flour yet!), so yes! Try it with one of your bread maker loaves! Otherwise, French bread or Italian bread works well, too.
Wow! I’ve to admit I haven’t tried throwing everything together right into the oven to bake. This sure saves a lot of time & I love it! I’m sure it tastes great with the melted cheese.
Shirley, sometimes one-dish meals are just the thing. I usually enjoy putting time and attention into my meals (like you!), but now and then I just throw it all in the oven. :)
All the fruit posts are making me long for summer. Good thing warm weather is just around the corner!
Ain’t that the truth?! :) Wishing you warmth until winter sheds its coat, and thanks for your comment!