French Dip Sliders with Crispy Onions

You will lose your mind when you sink your teeth into this sandwich. The roast beef is buttery, the sauce is warm and drippy, the buns are chewy, and the fried onions are crispy. All that, in one bite... Oh, and the recipe? You need 6 ingredients and about 20 minutes and this is yours. I know. Somebody pinch me.

Seriously. It's not often you find a recipe where taste and texture elements explode in one dreamy bite. Especially with a handful of ingredients. Do we take shortcuts here? Hell yes. But these are shameless shortcuts - like deli roast beef. When was the last time you roasted your own beef for sandwiches? No shame there.

And, yes, I make homemade gravy all the time; but when it comes to a quick version of a French dip sandwich (warm roast beef dunked in the savory juice it was cooked in), I can't compete on a busy weeknight. Clearly I haven't been roasting beef all day; so I don't have the "jus" to dunk it in.  The culinary hack? Add a little Worcestershire sauce to bottled beef gravy and I DARE you to say it isn't awesome. Just as awesome as your favorite restaurant's gravy. If you like thinner "jus", just add beef broth or water... it's an easy fix. As easy as this entire meal.

And those crispy onions? Perhaps they're not traditional. I've never had a French dip with crunchy onions nestled under the bun. And, man-oh-man, was I missing out. The hint of toasted onion, combined with the crumble of little onion bits on your tongue, takes this sandwich to 900 levels above "next level".

French Dip Sliders with Crispy Onions

12 ounces beef gravy of choice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 pound thinly sliced roast beef
4 hamburger buns
4-6 ounces Provolone or Swiss cheese (I used Swiss because that’s what we prefer!)
1/2 cup crispy fried onions

In a large microwave-safe bowl, whisk together the gravy and Worcestershire sauce. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a paper towel and microwave on HIGH for 1 to 2 minutes, until the gravy is hot. Remove all but a 1/2 cup of the gravy and transfer it to small bowls or ramekins (for dipping the finished sliders).
Add the roast beef slices to the remaining 1/2 cup of gravy and toss to coat the roast beef with the gravy. Transfer the roast beef to the rolls and top with the cheese and fried onions. Serve with extra warm gravy on the side.

Serves 4