Savory hot beef and gravy piled high on fluffy homemade mashed potatoes and thick-sliced bread. Serve Open-Faced Hot Beef Sandwiches with your favorite vegetable for the best comfort food any night of the week!

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Why you'll love this recipe
When I think of comfort food, this one is the highest on my list of favorites! Thick bread loaded with fluffy homemade mashed potatoes and savory hot beef and gravy-- YUM. Does it even get any better than this??
Open-Faced Hot Beef Sandwiches are one of the easiest recipes and only require a handful of ingredients. You can make this recipe even easier by using instant mashed potatoes.
Ingredients
Beef and gravy
This super easy hot beef and gravy only takes 4 ingredients, plus water! Here's what you'll need:
- Beef roast
- Onion soup mix
- Brown gravy packets
- Thick bread
- Water
Mashed potatoes
To make homemade fluffy mashed potatoes, here's what you need:
- Potatoes
- Butter
- Milk
- Salt and pepper
Step-by-step instructions
Take the chill off the meat by letting it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Sear the roast
This step is completely optional, but totally recommended!
In a large cast iron skillet, heat up two tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Blot the roast dry with paper towels.
Sear the meat on one side for 3 minutes, flip, and sear for another 3 minutes. Once a deep brown crust has formed on both sides of the roast, transfer it to the slow cooker.
Slow cooker instructions
Place the roast in the bottom of a 5-to-8-quart slow cooker. Combine the water, onion soup mix, and gravy packets and pour it over the roast.
Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
Instructions for mashed potatoes
Scrub, peel, and quarter the potatoes. Place the cut potatoes in a large pot and cover them with cold water.
Bring the pot to a boil and boil until fork-tender, about 16 to 18 minutes. Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot. Add the butter, milk, salt, and pepper.
Mash the potatoes with a potato masher until smooth.
Shred the beef. Lay down a piece of bread and top with a generous scoop of mashed potatoes and hot beef.
Best bread to use
Any thick-sliced bread, such as Texas Toast, will work great for this recipe. I've also used thick-sliced Brioche and stacked two pieces of regular-sized sandwich bread and they both turned out great!
Tips & tricks
Use different roasts. I think just about any marbled roast will do for this recipe. I have used both a rump roast and a chuck roast and they both turned out amazing.
Sear the roast. For a more flavorful hot beef sandwich, sear the roast until it has a well-caramelized crust. This will help lock in all that delicious flavor.
Save some time. Instead of making homemade mashed potatoes, instant or refrigerated potatoes can be used instead!
Recommended tools
- Slow Cooker. Easily serve your family hot beef and gravy in this large 7-quart crockpot.
- Cast Iron Skillet. Sear up a beautifully crusted, caramelized roast for this recipe in one of my favorite skillets.
Storing and reheating
Refrigerator: Store the hot beef and mashed potatoes separately in airtight containers for up to five days.
Freezer: Freeze the hot beef and mashed potatoes in separate containers for up to three months.
Thaw: Place containers in the refrigerator overnight.
Reheat: Reheat in the microwave in a microwave-safe container.
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Recipe
Open-Faced Hot Beef Sandwiches
Equipment
Ingredients
Hot Beef & Gravy
- 3 lbs beef roast chuck or rump
- 1 pkg (1 oz) onion soup mix
- 4 pkg (0.87 oz) brown gravy
- 4 c water
Mashed Potatoes
- 5 lbs Russet potatoes scrubbed and peeled
- 1 stick butter
- ¼ c milk
- salt and pepper to taste
- 8 pieces thick bread (Texas toast)
Instructions
- OPTiONAL. Sear the roast. See recipe notes below.
- Place the roast in the bottom of a 5-to-8-quart slow cooker.
- Mix together onion soup mix, gravy, and water. Pour over beef.
- Cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours.
- Scrub, peel, and quarter the potatoes. Place cut potatoes in a large pot and cover with water.
- Bring to a boil and cook until soft, about 16 to 18 minutes. Drain and return to the pot. Add the butter, milk, salt, and pepper, and mash the potatoes with a potato masher, until smooth.
- Shred the beef. Lay down a piece of bread and top with a generous scoop of mashed potatoes and hot beef.
Notes
- Let the roast sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Blot the roast dry with paper towels.
- In a large skillet, heat up two tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat.
- Sear the meat for 3 minutes, flip, sear for another 3 minutes.
- Once a deep brown crust has formed, transfer it to a slow cooker.
Nutritional Information
Nutritional Disclaimer
The nutritional information provided is only an estimate. For accurate results, we recommend calculating the nutritional information based on the ingredients and brands you use.
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