Good morning everyone!

Before heading off to Gravy Central I wanted to point out that this weekend is the 1st anniversary of the world shutting down. It was exactly a year ago today when I hosted my Saint Patrick’s Day gathering AKA the day after the lunatics raided the grocery stores. It was also the last time that I hosted a gathering with my family.

While that linked post is dated a week later – remember Sunday Gravy is written a bit in advance –  that was the very weekend when the world done lost its gatdamn mind! Feel free to browse through if you really want to go back in time to the start of this fucking shit. I will understand if you don’t want to but it does have some interesting comments as well.

A whole fucking year, man!

Jesus Jimmy James Christ, it feels like 20 years.

Anyway.

Let’s refocus.

Holy fucking hell do we have a right proper beauty for you today.

The way I construct a season of Sunday Gravy isn’t as linear as it used to be. This year I documented a few meals that I cooked during the NFL season and then interspersed them throughout the first few weeks of this new season of Sunday Gravy.

For instance; the Chile Verde 2.0 came from, shit I want to say it was during the divisional round of the playoffs? Then the enchiladas that I made from the leftovers was from a couple of weeks later.

I do this for a couple of reasons. There could always be the possibility that life decided to fuck me in the ass for some random reason and I’m unable to cook on a given Sunday. Other times I need a goddamn break to recharge the creative brain.

I’ve tried to build in a couple of weeks of leeway. It also give me a little more time to do the writing that this feature requires.

A long winded way to say that yes, I’m making homemade bread again but not just that, I cooked homemade bread like 4 fucking weeks in a row there.

This helps explain why my bread recipe breakdown has gotten shorter in narrative and more expansive in photos.

As always, here’s a more detailed recipe for the bread.

Why look!

Here’s my mixer making the sponge that is the first part of the process.

Then we have…

The dough coming together into a ball! Neat!

Then we’ve got to get it ready for its first of several rises.

Yep oiled bowl. Etcetera etcetera etcetera!

Then you’ve got your…

Wait!

It looks like we’ve divided the dough in half! To make 2 loaves!

Yes! Of course! Maybe…

These could even be used for…

A SANDWICH!@!

Goddamn right.

We’re making sandwiches today.

Not just ANY sandwich mind you but the best goddamn roast beef sandwich I’ve ever fucking eaten.

We’re doing my version of a New Orleans style roast beef or “debris” Po-Boy!

This shit is real good.

It’s basically a hot roast beef sandwich WITH GRAVY! Now, what makes it a “po-boy” sandwich you may ask?

This here shit.

Yep, that’s some of the dark roux that we had leftover from when we made our “shrimp etouffee” meal a few weeks ago. The roux is the starting point of the gravy. That gravy will be topping some slow roasted roast beef, which will be sitting on that fine-ass homemade bread up there. AND we’ve got a little something-something to use as a crown on this motherfucker too.

Intrigued yet?

People, you should be.

Once again I used the roasting time of the roast beef today to assist with the various rises required to make the homemade bread.

Multi-tasking if you will.

Standard roast beef action today.

You can use this for pot roast or whatever-the-fuck.

Speaking of which. Let’s roast a slab of cow.

You know how the “Boston butt” is my favorite cut of pork? Well the chuck roast is my favorite cut of beef to use for slow roasting for the exact same reason. It’s ripples of fat and the dense marbling make for succulent slow roasted tastiness.

That’s about a 2 1/2 pound cut.

Let’s slap a sear on old Bessie here.

As always, during the searing process I use a fairly heavy application of salt, freshly ground black pepper and Hungarian paprika. Love what that paprika does to a slab of cow. About 10 minutes per side.

Give it a turn.

Shit yes.

I found this at the store,

and thought that might be a tasty addition to the roasted meat.

Now while the chuck roast is searing get your mire poix ready.

That’s one onion rough chopped, about 3-4 stalks of celery rough chopped and 2-3 large carrots cut into chunks.

You can also use this time to crack open a bottle of red which we brought to the slow roasting party too.

I’ve got good things to say about “19 Crimes” wines. I’m a big fan of their shiraz and I found this red blend to add good notes of fruitiness and a little hint of sweetness to the dish.

When the beef has been seared off, dump that mire poix right into the leftover juices.

Season with some dried thyme and a bit more salt and pepper. Next add in the savory elements.

That would be the minced garlic (4 to 5 cloves minced fine), the tomato paste (tablespoon or tablespoon and a half), a tablespoon of beef flavored “Better than Bouillon”, our red wine (3/4 cup or so), a splash of Worcestershire (1 tablespoon-ish) then give it all a good stir.

Let this cook for just a minute or 2.

Now we add in the beef, cover everything with a lid and put in a pre-heated 325 degree oven for 3 hours.

While it’s cooking let’s make a lovely cream cheese horseradish dollop to put on top of the finished sandwich.

This shit is easy breezy.

Four ounces of cream cheese.

1 tablespoon of prepared horseradish

1 teaspoon of chives.

Mix it all together.

Cover with some plastic wrap and get it into the fridge while the roast finishes. This can even be made a day or two in advance. Not to mention it makes a kickass dip if you’ve got some chips just laying about.

Have I mentioned how much I love horseradish?

 

Now.

One of the things about Sunday Gravy that I think is something that separates us from the other food folks out there; I share my kitchen fuckups unapologetically. I think it really helps us to learn from our mistakes and hopefully avoid additional fuckups in the future.

While watching the Food Network I’ve seen some cooks make crispy fried shallots that I thought would make a kickass addition to the top of our finished sandwich.

I perused a couple of recipes on line and settled on one. I’m not going to berate the website I got it from too hard so I won’t post the link (cough bonappetit cough.)

So.

Got myself a shallot and broke out the mandolin to get a thin slice just like the recipe said.

Yep. Just like that. Next I grabbed a sauce pan and added in some oil. Set the burner on a medium/medium-low flame as instructed and added in the shallots.

There we go. Like that. The recipe said these cook for 20-25 minutes! THAT should have been my first goddamn clue.

After about 8 minutes, they went from not quite cooked through to blackened ruined bullshit in less than 5 seconds.

It was a little horrifying actually.

You know that scene in “Evil Dead” where the zombie virus starts radiating out and it spreads through the veins in like 2 fucking seconds and you’re helpless to do anything about it?

Like that.

There were no crispy fried shallots to put on top of our sandwich.

Shit.

 

Let’s get back to the stuff that did work.

When the roast is done, remove it from the oven to let cool for about 15 minutes or so.

You know what we have to do next.

Motherfucking gravy time!

In goes our leftover dark roux. Medium heat here. Stir for a minute or two to get it pliable.

Next ladle in some of the cooking juices from the roast.

I think I ended up getting about 4 good ladles of meat cooking juices out of the Dutch oven. Season to taste with a little black pepper, maybe 1/4 teaspoon of dried thyme. You probably won’t need to add additional salt but you do you. I ain’t judging your taste buds. Cook for 5 minutes or so until it thickens up a bit.

Gravy!

Now let’s build the beast.

Yeah, you want to canoe out some of the middle of the bread just so you can get extra meat and gravy in there.

It’s alright. You can eat the bread that you take out. Just shovel it right into your gob.

Now let’s get some meat and gravy on there.

Goddamn! I know you could stop right here and just get after this bastard but we must push on!

If you were doing this official “New Orleans Po’ boy style” it looks something like this.

That’s with your lettuce, tomato and mayo on one side and the warm ingredients on the other. Close this up and you have it the traditional roast beef “debris” way.

By the way, the term “debris” comes from the fact that the New Orleans style roast beef is usually simmered to the point of falling apart and basically becomes part of the gravy.

I like our method today since it yields a richer, fuller roast beef flavor.

Now let’s try this Sunday Gravy Style instead.

That’s right. EXTRA gravy and our cream cheese horseradish dollop right on top.

Just need a handful of chips on the side.

And go!

.

..

…

Jesus God!

Just to start with the basics, that may have been some of the best roast beef ever. Juicy, rich, tender perfection.

And that was just one component. Adding the various savory elements to the roast, like the tomato paste (sun dried!), the wine and the Worcestershire just amp the fuck out of the finished beef.

Then that gravy? Oh shit yes, Shirley! That dark “chocolate” roux gave it the low, earthy funk that you get from a good bowl of gumbo, or etouffee, and when it’s turned into a beef gravy? And ladled over slow roasted beef?

Just. DAMN!.

That creaminess of the cream cheese spread along with that straight on punch to the goddamn sinuses that a good horseradish brings?

All of that on top of homemade bread?

Do I even need to break this shit down further?

 

If you are reading this in it’s customary Sunday Morning timeslot I should probably apologize to you. Especially if you haven’t really gotten out of bed or started your day proper.

I might have just wrecked you for the day.

Then again, what’s stopping you? Get some of your own!

Get your ass in the kitchen and make some motherfucking deliciousness!

Be inspired!

That’s it for today folks.

Fuck, I feel like I need a cold shower after that.

Thank you all so much for being there. It truly inspires me.

Until next week.

 

Be Safe.

Be Well.

PEACE!