Slow roasted balsamic beef waffle sandwich

When I take the time to make sandwiches, I want to make gourmet, out-of-the-ordinary sandwiches, since I can make a regular turkey sandwich any other day. Since I purchased a waffle maker not too long ago, I decided to make a waffle sandwich, inspired by my visit to the famous Bruxie in Los Angeles. This slow roasted balsamic beef sandwich ended up being the best, most delicious sandwich I have made so far. It is a must try!

Slow Roasted Balsamic Beef Waffle Sandwich

Recipe adapted from simply-delicious and food.com

Cooking time: 5 hours 15 minutes

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

Sandwich:

3.3 lb beef roast, either chuck or brisket

salt and pepper

2 red onions, peeled and roughly chopped

4 garlic cloves, peeled

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

2 cups beef stock

1 tbsp sugar

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

1 bay leaf

2 tbsp creamed horseradish

4 tbsp creme fraiche or mayo

1 red onions, finely sliced

1/2 cup white wine vinegar

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

Waffles:

1 1/3 cup flour

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

2 eggs, yolks and whites separated

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 3/4 cup milk

cilantro leaves for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Season the beef with salt and pepper. Combine the red onions - bay leaf and pour over the beef into a baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil and roast in the oven for 1 hour.
3. Reduce the oven heat to 300 degrees F and continue to braise the beef for 3-4 hours or until the beef is tender enough to easily pull apart. Shred the beef and let it rest in the braising liquid. Keep warm in the oven, which you can turn off, until you are ready to serve.
4. Meanwhile, prepare your horseradish cream by mixing it with either the creme fraiche or mayo. Set aside.
5. Pickle your red onions by heating together the white wine vinegar with the salt and sugar in a sauce pot until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and pour over the onions. Let pickle for 5 minutes. 
6. To make the waffles, whisk together the dry ingredients from the flour to the sugar. In another bowl, whisk together the egg yolks with the milk and melted butter. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, whisking until the lumps are removed. 
7. Beat the egg whites until moderately stiff. Fold in the whites to the waffle batter until incorporated. Heat your waffle maker and ladle about 2/3 cup of the mixture onto your waffle maker. Bake as directed. Remove from heat and repeat with the remaining batter.
8. To assemble the sandwiches, top half of the waffle with a generous portion of the braised beef. Spread a dollop of the horseradish cream on top, followed by the red onions and cilantro. Fold over and serve immediately. 

Nutrition Analysis

per serving: 754.6 calories, 35.5g fat (16.2 saturated), 35.4g carbohydrates, 1.9g fiber, 64.9g protein

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

Braising beef or any protein for that matter, takes a long time to complete, but it's actually very easy to do. The basic idea is to put everything in a pot or baking dish and let it cook in low heat over a long period of time. This allows the fat and muscles to break down, making the beef incredibly tender. 

I only made half the recipe so the chunk of beef wasn't as large, allowing it to finish braising quicker. My beef was tender after cooking for a total of 3 hours; I was able to shred it by just gently wiggling a fork!

Now for the waffles, I have tried different batters before but I found this one to be the best so far. The batter doesn't call for any sugar or vanilla extract, making it appropriate for a savory sandwich. The addition of a whipped egg white also yields a light airy waffle.

Now I tried the beef by itself and the waffle by itself, but once all the components were put together...holy moly is this sandwich finger-lickin' good! The pickled onions added the needed crunch and tartness while the creamed horseradish added a little spiciness and creaminess to the sandwich. The beef, oh the beef, tasted even better than it smelled and was o so tender. I am a sandwich fanatic, but I have to say, this is probably the best I've ever made. Enjoy!