Making your own Italian-style beef is an easy one-pot affair

As soon as the weather starts to get chilly, my first thought is to make beef in my Dutch oven. Not just any beef - Chicago Italian Style beef! If you love Italian beef, you are going to love this recipe not once, but twice. First, as a Sunday dinner and second as an Italian beef sandwich with melty mozzarella and hot giardiniera.

If you haven't cooked a sirloin tip roast before, I am about to change your life. At approximately one fourth the cost of beef tenderloin, I actually prefer it to the tenderloin because it's just as lean and I think it has a beefier flavor. Is beefier even a word? It is now!

Here are some tips about cooking with beef. Make sure your beef is room temperature. Never put cold meat in a hot pan. Don't skip the step of browning the beef in oil. It gives not only the beef extra flavor, but it also flavors the jus.

You will have enough jus to make gravy for the Sunday night dinner and dipping the Italian beef sandwiches. For the Sunday gravy, simply strain 2 cups of the jus into a stockpot, mix ½ cup water with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, and bring to a boil, stirring for 5 minutes.

For Sunday dinner: buy prepackaged mashed potatoes and heat in the microwave. Simmer 1 pound of green beans (about four servings) in a skillet in an inch of water for 10 minutes. Drain water, add 1 teaspoon avocado oil, pan fry the green beans for 5 minutes, and season with salt and pepper. Add beef to the plate and pour gravy over mashed potatoes.

To make the sandwich: thinly slice the beef and place in a bun, top with mozzarella cheese and air fry for 5 minutes at 340, or in the oven at 350 for 5-7 minutes, just until the bun is toasty and the cheese is melted. Add spicy giardiniera and serve with steak fries.

To make the steak fries: bake potatoes in your microwave the morning you want to make the steak fries. The baked potatoes are easier to cut if they are cold out of the refrigerator. Slice each potato into eight wedges, spray with avocado oil spray, salt and pepper and air fry at 400 for 12 minutes, or bake at 400 for 20 minutes in an oven.

I do hope you try this cut of beef next time you go grocery shopping. The leftover possibilities are endless!

My Bizzy Kitchen runs once a month in Food. Follow Biz Velatini on her blog at mybizzykitchen.com/, on Instagram at instagram.com/mybizzykitchen/?hl=en and Facebook at facebook.com/mybizzykitchen.

Roast Beef

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon pepper

1 3-pound sirloin roast, fat trimmed

1 onion, chopped fine

2 tablespoons oil, divide

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon flour

2 cups beef broth

2 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon salt

Heat your oven to 300 degrees. Combine garlic powder, Italian seasoning, oregano and pepper in a small bowl.

Pat roast dry with a paper towel - make sure it's good and dry. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a Dutch oven to medium-high heat and sear the meat on all the sides. It will take about 10 minutes total. Set the beef aside.

Add onion to the fat in the Dutch oven and cook over medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, flour, and 1 teaspoon of the spice mixture until fragrant, about 1 minute. Now stir in all the liquids and using a wooden spoon, scrape up all the bits on the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil. Then, using an oven-safe bowl, inverted it in the pot, and set the meat on top so the roast sits on the bowl and not in the liquid.

Stir remaining oil, pepper flakes, and salt to remaining spice mixture. Rub mixture all over the meat and roast until meat registers 120 to 125 degrees. Let cool at least 30-45 minutes before slicing.

Biz Velatini