Growing up on the North Shore of Boston I’ve tried some of the best roast beef sandwiches in the world.
So I consider myself to be somewhat of a roast beef snob. Probably a sandwich snob in general.
I was lucky to have so many great roast beef joints and sub shops in my area. That was fast food when I was a kid. No McDonalds or Taco Bell.
In case you don’t know about North Shore beefs, they are hot roast beef sandwiches served on a soft roll with American cheese and James River bbq sauce. To this day James River is probably my favorite bbq sauce.
I like it because it’s a thinner sauce with a little heat and a tangy flavor. It’s the perfect match for the rich and savory roast beef.
Now that I’m a sandwich professional myself, I’ve been spending a lot of time trying to perfect the roast beef sandwich recently.
In case you didn’t know, my mission is to serve the absolute best sandwiches in the world.
One of my favorite things to do is put together combinations of cold cuts and different cheeses to come up with the most delicious sandwich possible.
Today I want to teach you how to make one of the best cold roast beef sandwiches I’ve ever had.
Keep reading and add this one to your list of favorite sandwich recipes.
What You Need to Make This Awesome Roast Beef Sandwich
Roast Beef
Make sure your roast beef is sliced thin. I repeat…make sure your roast beef is sliced thin!
You can use leftover roast beef from Sunday’s dinner. You can buy deli roast beef at the supermarket. Just make sure it’s really thin.
Don’t be afraid to tell the guy behind the deli counter how thin you want it. He’ll understand.
I made this sandwich with a good store bought roast beef and it came out great.
Cheese
If you want to know the best cheese for a roast beef sandwich, it’s not an easy answer. There are so many best cheeses depending on the other ingredients in the sandwich.
Roast beef and cheese sandwiches can be really good with many different cheeses.
For this sandwich I used fresh mozzarella. Its creamy texture is the perfect match for the richness of the roast beef.
Bread
I used one of the really nice sub rolls at Mortadella Head for this sandwich. It’s the perfect type of bread for this roast beef sandwich recipe because it’s soft on the inside and crusty on the outside.
Depending on where you live, you’ll see these called hoagie rolls, hero rolls or French bread rolls.
Veggies
I tried a few variations, but in the end I decided to go with tomatoes and roasted red peppers. I like the way the sweet roasted peppers and fresh tomatoes enhance the freshness of this cold roast beef sandwich.
You can use roasted peppers in the jar or take a red bell pepper and roast it yourself.
Spread
For this sandwich I made an awesome spicy mayonnaise. It’s a really easy recipe with only three ingredients.
I had a jar of Calabrian chili peppers so I mixed them up with mayo and honey.
The hot peppers and the sweet honey are the perfect pairing.
Seasoning
Have some salt, pepper and olive oil on hand. I also added a little fresh basil.
How to Build This Awesome Roast Beef and Cheese Sandwich
I started by splitting my sub roll completely into two pieces.
Then I sliced my roasted beef on the deli slicer as thin as possible. We have a slicer at the restaurant.
If you want the perfect sandwich you have to make sure your cold cuts are always sliced thin.
If you’re using store-bought roast beef make sure they slice it extra thin.
I made my spicy mayo by mixing up mayonnaise, Calabrian chili peppers and honey. Then I sliced up some fresh basil and mixed it in.
This is how I recommend slicing your basil.
This is such an easy and delicious recipe. The spicy kick of the hot peppers is the perfect accompaniment to the sweet flavor of the honey.
Then I spread the mayo on the top bun and the bottom bun. It’s so important to spread your mayo on both sides of the bread.
Next up is the roast beef! This is the perfect opportunity to show off that thin sliced beef by piling it high on the bottom roll.
Now take a ball of fresh mozzarella and slice it up. Carefully arrange each slice of cheese over the roast beef until you have full coverage.
Take a tomato and slice it thin. Place the tomato slices on the cheese.
Slice the roasted peppers and lay them on top of the tomatoes.
Season everything with salt and pepper.
Add a drizzle of olive oil, some fresh basil and boom! You have a really good roast beef sandwich!
Other Great Roast Beef and Cheese Sandwich Ideas
Roast beef with horseradish mayo, melted Swiss cheese and caramelized onions is really good. It’s even better when it’s dipped in some warm au jus. The Swiss is a great melty cheese when you heat it up.
Roast beef with blue cheese dressing, BBQ sauce, lettuce, tomato and red onion is another great combination.
I also love a roast beef and cheddar sandwich with 1000 Island dressing. The sharp cheddar cheese is a great compliment to the juicy beef.
Other Cheeses to Use on a Roast Beef Sandwich
You can’t go wrong with provolone cheese, Monterey jack cheese or Boursin cheese. I also recently had a great roast beef sandwich smothered in a homemade cheddar cheese sauce.
I guess any cheese is the right cheese for a roast beef sandwich if you make it right.
Print
My Roast Beef Sandwich w/Fresh Mozzarella Cheese
Ingredients
1 sub roll
8 ounces of thin sliced roast beef
1 ball of fresh mozzarella
2 tablespoons of spicy mayo
3 slices of tomato
4 slices of roasted peppers
Salt, pepper and olive oil
Instructions
- Split your sub roll completely in half
- Spread the spicy mayo on both halves of the roll
- Pile on your roast beef
- Slice the fresh mozzarella and place it on the roast beef
- Add the tomato and roasted peppers
- Season with salt and pepper
- Drizzle some olive oil over the top
- Enjoy!
