Give Pastrami The French Dip Treatment With This Recipe

Los Angeles may not be quite as historically well-known for its culinary chops (compared to other long-standing U.S. big shots like New York City or Chicago), but there is one culinary creation that we're eternally indebted to the City of Angels for: the French dip. Indeed, the beefy, cheesy, juicy French dip is worth celebrating, an L.A.-born sandwich that typically boasts essentials like roast beef, cheese, French bread, and au jus on the side for dipping. It's ultra-savory, incredibly rich, and perfect for hot sandwich and panini lovers everywhere.

Recipe developer Patterson Watkins is no stranger to a good French dip, and she's a huge fan of hot pastrami sandwiches, so in her "French-ish dip" panini recipe, she switches things up by adding pastrami to the mix. "That peppery, slightly smoky, slightly salty cured beef is, in my mind, the perfect sandwich protein," Watkins says of pastrami, so naturally, it only made sense to incorporate it into a French dip. "I wanted to build off of the classic combo of pastrami and rye *and* that melty, dunkable iconic French dip sando."

She doesn't stop at just the pastrami, though. Pastrami pairs well with 3 sharp cheeses because bold flavors work well together, and Watkins tells us, "To balance that boldness, I crafted a sweet and tangy onion topping – caramelized and simmered in dark beer for a hint of toasty, nutty, caramel goodness." Everything is piled onto rye bread before being pressed panini-style, making for one hot sandwich that puts a unique spin on the classic French dip.

You'll start this recipe by making the hot pastrami, for which you'll need low-sodium beef broth, prepared horseradish, minced garlic, fresh chopped rosemary, fresh chopped thyme, and deli-sliced pastrami. Next, for the beer and mustard onions, you'll need salted butter, sliced yellow onion, dark beer (stout or porter), Dijon mustard, grainy mustard, and honey.

Once those elements are complete, it's down to building the sandwich. You'll need rye bread and some more butter, along with the three cheeses: Cooper Sharp cheese, sharp cheddar cheese, and fontina. "I picked a trio of sharp cheeses for this recipe to pair with the sweet onions and smoky-peppery pastrami," Watkins says of her cheese choices, and she encourages you to give this specific trio a try for that perfect sharp balance amidst all the other savory richness. That said, you could also use other cheeses like Swiss, Gruyère, mild cheddar, or Provolone. 

Place the broth, horseradish, garlic, rosemary, and thyme in a large pot. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer over medium heat.

Once simmering, add the pastrami to the pot.

Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.

Once melted, add the onions, and saute them until they begin to soften and brown, about 5 minutes.

Deglaze the skillet with beer, stir to combine with the onions, and bring to a simmer.

Simmer until the beer has almost completely evaporated, about 10 minutes.

Add the Dijon mustard, grain mustard, and honey to the skillet and stir to combine.

Continue to cook for 2 minutes until the onions become jammy. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Place bread slices on a sheet of wax paper and spread butter over one side.

Flip 4 of the bread slices over, butter side down.

Divide the Cooper Sharp cheese between the 4 slices.

Top the cheese with hot pastrami (let any excess au jus drip off the pastrami before transferring to the bread). Reserve the au jus.

Top the pastrami with the onion mixture, spreading it out evenly.

Top the onions with the cheddar and fontina cheese slices.

Cap the sandwiches with the remaining bread slices, butter side-up.

Preheat a panini press, panini pan, or grill pan over medium heat.

Once hot, add the sandwiches. Firmly and evenly press the sandwiches (using either a sandwich press or a heavyweight pot or pan).

Toast for 2 minutes or until golden brown on one side. Flip, press, and repeat on the other side until the sandwiches are toasty and the cheese has melted.

Ladle the au jus between serving cups and serve alongside the sandwiches for dipping.

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Although a panini press may seem like a strictly-necessary tool when it comes to making a panini, this isn't necessarily the case. "No panini press? No problem. They are fun to have, but not wholly necessary to craft paninis," Watkins says. In fact, she proves this to be true in this very recipe, simply by putting a handy grill pan and a heavy skillet (she uses a small cast-iron skillet in this case) to use, with the latter serving as the "press" that helps weigh the sandwich down and establish those deep grill marks. Even if you don't have a grill pan, two cast-iron skillets will work here, the bigger one for the actual cooking and the smaller one for pressing.

So, why is the weight even necessary here at all? "These sandwiches are meant to be pressed with a consistent weight (not merely smushed with a spatula)," Watkins explains. "That weighted press provides a perfectly crisp exterior and melty interior." Would these sandwiches still taste good if you simply piled the toppings onto rye and toasted it on the stovetop with no added weight? Sure, but they simply wouldn't have that irresistibly crispy, crunchy exterior and perfectly hot, melty interior.

If you've ever enjoyed the delicacy that is deli pastrami, you'll know that — even more so than regular deli meats or other cured meats — it's incredibly salty. "Pastrami is cured in a pretty salty bath, which makes it saltier than most deli meats," Watkins explains. To keep this recipe from teetering into too-salty territory, she specifically opts for low-sodium broth for the au jus. "It is not easy to remove salt once it has been added — best to start with a little bit and adjust as needed," she adds. You'll also notice that this recipe doesn't call for extra added salt or seasoning, and trust us when we say that it's simply not necessary with all the other salty elements at play.

There's another unique ingredient at play here: the dark beer used to deglaze the pan and make the onions nice and jammy. "Dark beer is a delightful ingredient to use in cooking," Watkins says. "I used it in this recipe to impart hints of toast, nuts, cocoa, and caramel to the mustardy onion condiment." Just about any neutral stout or porter will do, and keep in mind that the alcohol will cook off, only leaving behind those desired nutty, cocoa elements. That said, if you want a completely ABV-free option while still retaining the flavor profile, Watkins recommends using a combination of root beer and coffee instead.

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