These sandwiches are the bomb. I have to give credit to the Mainstreeter Bar & Grill in River Falls, WI. for these. I think these were the Thursday night special back in the early 2000’s and after I moved away from River Falls I needed to recreate these super tasty Philly beef and swiss sandwiches. The only change we made is we prefer red, yellow, and orange bell peppers over green peppers. These look simple, and arguably they are not rocket science, but they do take some time and effort to put together. Well worth it though!
Don’t tell people your plans, show them your results.
EAT A SAMMICH. BE HAPPY.
Mainstreeter’s was my daughter’s favorite place to go for a quick bite to eat when we lived in River Falls, Wisconsin in the early 2000s and this Philly beef and swiss sandwich (also could be considered a version of a French dip sandwich) was one of her favorites. I think Mainstreeter’s disappeared for a while then re-opened but at the time of this writing it appears Paddy’s Pub & Boxty House has taken over that space. Oh well. All the more reason you need to make these Philly beef and swiss sandwiches from my recipe below!
We always make six of these at a time so we have leftovers. We’ve found you can wrap leftovers Philly beef and swiss sandwiches individually in aluminum foil and place in the fridge. This will keep them intact and protected without jamming them into a Tupperware container or anything else. Store the onion & pepper mix separately in a container as well as leftover au jus. Whether you call them Philly beef and swiss sandwiches or a loaded version of a French dip sandwich I think you’ll find these are an indulgence worth coming back to time and again!
If you’re looking for something a bit healthier, consider this filet mignon recipe. If you’ve never cooked filet mignon at home before you need to give this a try! It’s so easy and save a ton of cash compared to going out to eat… Also don’t forget to check out the Bear Dog’s Kitchen store!
Ingredients
- 6 hoagie buns
- 1-1/2 pounds sliced roast beef (we like the garlic roast beef variety)
- 1 large onion
- 3 bell peppers (your choice of colors, we leave out the green ones, personal preference)
- 12 slices swiss cheese
- 2 sticks butter (we use unsalted butter)
- 1 jug of au jus concentrate (we use Johnny's French Dip au jus concentrate)
Instructions
- Follow the directions on the au jus concentrate adding au jus concentrate and water to a sauce pan to make about 4 - 6 cups of au jus. Put this on medium heat and stir occasionally while working on the rest of the recipe. If it reaches a boil, turn down to very low heat just to keep warm.
- Slice up the onion into roughly 1/4 wide slices.
- Cut up the bell peppers (removing the core, internal webbing and seeds) into strips 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide.
- Place 2 tbsp. butter into a large frying pan and heat to med-high, place peppers and onion into pan and continue to cook and stir until they soften up. Set aside.
- Cut open the hoagie buns (if not pre-sliced) and place on a foil lined cookie sheet, in an opened up position, with the insides facing up. Usually you'll be able to fit 3 hoagies per sheet, so you'll need two lined cookie sheets typically.
- Soften the butter, either on the counter hours ahead or carefully in the microwave (takes only seconds).
- With a brush or a butter knife, cost the inside of the hoagies with butter, paying attention to get the edges well, the centers don't need as much (or any if you choose to cut back on the butter - since the roast beef and swiss cheese will cover the centers)
- Place 3 or 4 slices of the roast beef on one side of the open hoagie buns.
- Place 2 slices of swiss cheese on the opposite side of the open hoagie (beef on one side, cheese on the other).
- Place under the broiler approximately 5 inches away from the heating element and place oven on broil.
- Keep an eye on this step as they can burn fairly quickly. Depending on your oven and evenness of it's heat source you may want to rotate the sheet of sandwiches to get them to brown more evenly.
- Once browned up to your liking remove from the broiler (cheese and roast beef should be warmed up nicely by now). Total time under the broiler should only be 3 - 5 minutes typically.
- Add the fried pepper and onion mix on top of the roast beef on each prior to serving.
- Pour some au jus into ramekin or other small bowl. Serve and Enjoy!!
Don't forget to broil the second pan of sandwiches after the first is done! Keep an eye on these so they don't burn!
Notes
There is kind of a lot to do here when making this recipe. It helps (but not required) to have two people. Start the au jus, have one person work on the onion and pepper mix and the other prep the sandwiches for the broiler. These also pair well with some potato chips and french onion dip!