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a closed long plain sub roll cut across the middle, with thin warm roast-beef folds, smooth pale-golden garlic-Gouda cheese sauce and softened wrinkled red cherry-tomato halves, without onions, whole garlic heads or garnish
Andrew Fowler

Roast Beef Sub

Roast the garlic and tomatoes while you get the rolls and sauce ingredients ready, and the slowest part of this sub mostly takes care of itself. The softened garlic disappears into a Gouda sauce rather than sitting in sharp raw pieces against the meat. Warm the thin roast beef gently in a little broth, then lift it out before filling the rolls so you don’t turn the sandwich into a French dip by accident. The tomatoes should be wrinkled and concentrated, with their loose pan juices left behind. A short rest after assembly lets the cheese sauce settle between the beef folds while the bread still has a lightly toasted edge.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 small head garlic
  • 2 tbsp olive oil divided
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
  • 1/4 tsp fine salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 4 oz Gouda finely grated
  • 1 lb thinly sliced ready-to-eat deli roast beef
  • 3/4 cup low-sodium beef broth
  • 4 soft plain sub rolls 8 inches long

Method
 

  1. Heat oven to 400°F. Cut the top from the garlic head, drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil and wrap in foil; roast for 35 to 45 minutes until the cloves are soft enough to squeeze.
  2. Toss tomato halves with remaining oil, salt and pepper on a small rimmed pan. Roast alongside the garlic for 25 to 30 minutes until wrinkled and lightly browned.
  3. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat and stir in flour for 1 minute. Whisk in milk gradually, simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until lightly thickened, then squeeze in the roasted garlic and mash or blend smooth.
  4. Remove the saucepan from direct heat and stir in Gouda until melted. Keep warm without boiling.
  5. Warm broth in a wide skillet, add roast beef and turn gently over low heat for 3 to 5 minutes until the meat reaches 165°F. Lift out with tongs, leaving the broth behind.
  6. Split the rolls and toast only the cut faces under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes. Divide warm beef among them, spoon on garlic-Gouda sauce and add roasted tomatoes with their loose juices left in the pan.
  7. Close, rest for 2 minutes and cut across the middle. Serve one sub per person while the sauce is warm and soft.