Every region of the US calls this dish something different. The Northeast calls them Manhattans, the Midwest calls them Commercials, but they’re all a different name for an open beef sandwich smothered in gravy.
I’ve been making this classic diner dish for years because my husband is a traditional meat and potatoes kind of guy. This dish checks all the blocks! It’s also a very heavy dish, so it really ‘sticks to the bones’ of my boys who like to pack a lot of food into one meal.
But what exactly is this thing? It’s an open, layered sandwich: thick bread, then mashed potatoes, then shredded meat, then gravy. Not always in that order, but all of those elements on one plate.
We normally serve this meal when I have leftover buttermilk mashed potatoes to use up. This time I also had fresh brioche bread made to use as the base, so I could cut it nice and thick.
Open Beef Sandwich
Ingredients
Marinade
- 3 pounds beef roast of choice
- 1 cup soy sauce you can use low sodium if need be
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or finely chopped
- 2 tsp tarragon, dried
- 2 tsp italian seasoning
- 1 tsp ground sage
- 1 tsp pepper, ground
- 1 tsp Greek seasoning
Gravy
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1/2 cup milk
- 3-6 Tbsp flour or corn starch
Sandwich
- 1/2 cup mashed potatoes We use leftovers for this dish, reheated just before serving
- 1 slice texas toast whatever type of bread you prefer
Instructions
Marinating the Beef
- Place beef roast in ziplock baggie
- Whisk together the soy sauce, lemon juice, and all seasonings. Pour marinade over beef. Seal the bag, place in fridge overnight.
Cooking
- Place all contents of the marinade bag into a slow cooker
- Set slow cooker temp to low and cook for 6 hours
Gravy
- Pull half a cup of the slow cooker juices into a sauce pan. Pour beef broth into sauce pan. Set pan over medium heat. Taste sauce mix to determine if you want more of the slow cooker juices (the marinade tends to be very salty, so I don't use all the drippings). When sauce tastes right, whisk the milk and flour to make a slurry. Slowly pour flour slurry into sauce while whisking constantly. Stop adding slurry when gravy begins to thicken. Adjust the gravy to your desired thickness.
Building the Sandwich
- Place a thick piece of bread on you plate, scoop your potatoes onto your bread, place chunks or shreds of beef onto the potatoes, and smother with gravy. Enjoy!
Notes
