Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Beef and Mushroom Melts

Remember this? True Confessions? Remember when I said that I am NOT a cook? I guess then, that it should go without saying then that I am definitely NOT a gourmet fancy schmancy cook.  Tonight's dinner was one that most probably consider very basic, yet we hadn't had it until I ran across a recipe for it. We've now had them a couple times in the past few months.



Beef and Mushroom Melts
The Line Up
1 lb extra-lean ground beef
2 TBSP finely chopped onion
2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 (4 oz) can mushroom pieces & stems (drained)
1 c shredded Swiss cheese
1 loaf (14 oz) baguette-style French Bread (about 16" split lengthwise)
1/2 c shredded Swiss cheese (I used Daiya swiss slices for dairy free)
**update** - 1 package Lipton Onion Mushroom Soup mix

The Game Plan
Heat oven to 450. Line cookie sheet with foil. In 10" non-stick skillet, cook ground beef and onion over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until beef is throughly cooked; drain. Stir in Worcestershire sauce, mushrooms and 1 c cheese.
Spoon beef mixture evenly onto baguette halves, spreading mixture to edges. Cut each half into 3 sections. Place sandwiches in pan; cover with additional foil.
Bake 15 minutes. Remove cover; top with 1/2 c cheese. Bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Coach's Post Game Conference
Ok, the first time I made these sandwiches, we all thought they were really good but that they needed "something." For The All-Star that "something" would be to NOT have mushrooms... we all know how he feels about my absolute favorite addition to just about everything I make. For Catcher and I... we couldn't figure it out.
Tonight, I tried a few things differently... I added more onion (a whole small yellow onion)... I added salt (usually if a recipe doesn't specifically call for it, I don't add it)... I added more Worcestershire sauce (not much, but a bit more... like an additional tsp)
I think the best idea for a little "something" would have been to add mayonnaise to the sandwich just before serving. Unfortunately... we didn't have any in the dugout tonight. Catcher added ketchup, but that just didn't seem right for me.
So I'm asking YOU... how would you doctor up this recipe? What would YOU add to give it just a bit more flavor?

Final Score
I think we would all give this a double... a good hit, but not exactly something that's going to score a run.


***UPDATE*** 11/13/2012
I've now made this several times and we've decided that the "something" that has been missing is LIPTON ONION & MUSHROOM SOUP MIX - once that has been added the recipe has been a home run each time!!

***Update*** 11/7/2013
I am happy to report that I have continued to make this even into our new dairy free season. And it continues to be a hit!

***edit - Please see label disclaimer in "True Confessions"- 11/7/2013

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