How do you make the very best roast beef commercials? It’s easy. You make the best roast beef, the best mashed potatoes, the best gravy, buy the best bread – and put it all together!

I grew up eating roast beef commercials at the restaurant in my hometown. In fact, I think it’s safe to say nearly everyone in my hometown – both then and now – still eats roast beef commercials.

There’s something so satisfying about the combination of savory roast beef, buttery mashed potatoes, soft white bread, and flavorful beef gravy. That’s pure comfort food where I’m from!

What Are Roast Beef Commercials?

You may know them as hot beef sandwiches, but where I’m from (Minnesota), we call them roast beef commercials. Same in North Dakota, South Dakota and elsewhere in the Upper Midwest where you’ll often find this iconic sandwich on the menu in local diners.

Roast beef commercials get their name based on the traveling salesmen who would eat them while traveling on the road for work. The sandwiches could be quickly prepared and assembled, as these “commercial” workers would want something fast and filling to eat on the road. Another theory is that the sandwiches because they were made with lower quality commercial-grade beef. 

Either way, the food and the name stuck, and you’ll find these delightful sandwiches much unchanged from when they became popular in the first half of the 20th Century. Yes, this qualifies as a Retro Recipe.

Preparing The Roast Beef: Slow Cooker Instructions

While the roast beef can be prepared traditionally by slow roasting in the oven, I like to prepare roast beef in a slow cooker. Here’s the process, in a nutshell. Scroll down for full recipe:

• Take beef roast (approximately 3 lbs.) out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes or so
• Using paper towels, blot off excess moisture from beef
• Season all sides with salt, pepper, and spices listed below
• In a large frying pan, heat a tablespoon of oil over high heat. Sear all sides of the beef roast.
• Remove beef from pan, set aside, and use a splash of water or beef broth to deglaze the pan. Pour liquid into the slow cooker.
• Add beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic to slow cooker. Add beef roast.
  • Optional: Throw in a few peeled carrots and cut potatoes to cook with the beef roast.
• Cook on low for 5 to 7 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours, or until meat is tender and falls apart.
• Allow beef to cool slightly and shred meat to add to the roast beef sandwich.

This simple method of cooking in the slow cooker results in tender roast beef that’s flavorful and ready to to eat on its own – or to be added to a sandwich.

Mashed Potatoes

There are a couple of options for making mashed potatoes for your roast beef commercials:

• Traditional: Make mashed potatoes the traditional way, by boiling potatoes until fork tender, draining them, and mashing them with butter, heavy cream, and a pinch of salt
• Slow cooker version: Placing some cut potatoes at the bottom of your slow cooker and allowing them to cook with the pot roast. This will result in really flavorful hot potatoes that are very tender and easy to mash. You can add butter and cream.

Let’s Talk About The Gravy

When it comes to beef gravy, I like lots of it – and it has to be dark and flavorful.

For this roast beef commercial recipe, I used the liquid left in the slow cooker as a base, added some extra liquid and seasonings, and thickened it up with corn starch. 

If you prefer your own beef gravy recipe – or if you want to buy a jar of ready-made gravy in the grocery store – go right ahead!

Just remember to make lots of gravy to pile on the roast beef sandwiches and side of potatoes.

Assembling The Sandwiches

Once all of your ingredients are prepped, you can assemble the sandwiches and dig in! A few tips to keep in mind:

• The best bread for hot beef sandwiches? Soft white bread. This makes it so easy to eat the sandwich with minimal effort with a fork and knife.
• Assemble the sandwiches: Pile the meat on between two slices of buttered bread and cut in half diagonally.
• Place a big scoop of mashed potatoes in the middle of the sandwich halves.
• Top the sandwich and the potatoes generously with gravy.
• Most importantly: Keep all the individual ingredients hot! No one wants a lukewarm hot beef sandwich.

If you like classic diner sandwiches, you should definitely check out this really good patty melt recipe. 

Continue to Content

Roast Beef Commercials

Yield: 6 sandwiches

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 7 hours

Additional Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 7 hours 45 minutes

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Ingredients

• 3 lb. beef roast
• Salt and pepper
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• 1/2 cup water (or beef broth) to deglaze pan
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

For beef gravy

• Liquid from the roast beef in slow cooker
• 2 cups beef broth
• 2 tablespoons corn starch dissolved in 1/4 cup cold water
• 1 to 2 teaspoons cracked black pepper

For mashed potatoes

• 3 large russet potatoes
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream (or half and half)
• Pinch of salt

To assemble

• 12 slices soft white bread
• Butter

Instructions

1. To make roast beef in slow cooker: Let beef sit at room temperature for 30 minutes or so. Using paper towels, blot off excess moisture. Season all sides with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
2. Heat a tablespoon of oil over high heat in
3. T a large frying pan. Sear all sides of the beef roast, about 4 minutes on each side.
4. Remove beef from pan, set aside, and use a water or beef broth to deglaze the pan. Pour liquid into the slow cooker.
5. Add beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic to slow cooker. Add beef roast. (Optional: Throw in a few peeled carrots and cut potatoes to cook with the beef roast.)
6. Cook on low for 5 to 7 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours, or until meat is tender and falls apart. Allow beef to cool slightly and shred meat to add to the roast beef sandwich.
7. To make gravy: Pour liquid from the slow cooker into a large saucepan. Add beef broth. Bring to a simmer. Combine corn starch with cold water and stir until dissolved. Add this to the simmering liquid and mix well. The gravy should start to thicken in a few minutes.
8. To make mashed potatoes: Peel russet potatoes and cut into fourths. Place in a large pot and add hot water. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until potatoes are fork tender. Drain, return to pot, mash with butter and cream.
9. To assemble sandwiches: For each sandwich, take two slices of bread and butter one side of each. Add a generous helping of warm roast beef on the buttered side. Cut sandwich in half diagonally and place on plate. Add a large scoop of mashed potatoes in the middle of the plate. Top sandwiches and mashed potatoes generously with warm gravy.

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