Beef and Cheddar Deli Melt

What a way to do double duty on an Eye of Round roast. Enjoy the roast for supper the first night with some fun side dishes, and then enjoy the leftovers the next day with this flavour-forward panini. The key is dry brining the roast for two to three days with a good quality steak spice prior to roasting – it adds as boatloads of flavour and tenderizes the roast.

Makes about 3-4 sandwiches

Eye of Round roast

Be a Kitchen Hero Burnt Canoe or your favourite blackened steak spice

Vegetable Filling

• 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and cut into thin slices
• ½ a large red pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup diced zucchini
• 100 g button mushrooms, sliced
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2-3 tbsp balsamic glaze, or about 1/8 cup balsamic vinegar + 1-2 tsp brown sugar
• Oil, for sautéing

• About 1 cup grated old cheddar cheese
• 8 tbsp basil pesto
• 2 cups fresh arugula or baby spinach
• 8 sliced sourdough bread
• ¼ cup butter
• 2 cloves garlic
• 4 whole hot peppers or dill pickles

Dry brine the eye of round roast by rubbing all sides and all crevices with the Burnt Canoe Steak Seasoning or your favourite blackened steak spice. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Place in a shallow ramekin or on a plate and refrigerate for 2-3 days, turning the roast over half way through the brining process.

Preheat oven to 450°F. Unwrap roast. Place roast on a greased cooling rack set over a shallow roasting pan. Oven sear for 10 minutes, then drop the heat to 275°F and roast to desired doneness. Cool 10 minutes. Slice across the grain into thin slices.

To make the sandwich: Preheat panini grill.

To make vegetable filling: In a large saute pan over medium heat, cook the onions in 1 tbsp oil for about 5 minutes. As you stir, separate the slices into rings. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Add the red pepper, zucchini, sliced button mushrooms and the oregano. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes, until vegetables are soft but not mushy. Season again with salt and pepper and then add the balsamic glaze. Stir well to coat all the vegetables and remove from heat. Cool slightly. (Can be made in advance)

Melt ¼ cup salted butter and add 2 minced cloves garlic. Stir and set aside.

To assemble the sandwich: lay 2 slices of sourdough bread on a cutting board. Smear the inside of each slice with about 1 tbsp basil pesto. Be generous. Top one side with arugula greens followed by a generous amount of thinly sliced cooked eye of round. Spoon over several generous spoonfuls of the vegetable filling. Top with about ¼ cup grated old cheese. Season with salt and paper and top with the remaining slice of bread, pesto side down. Brush the top of the sandwich with the garlic butter. Place in the panini grill. Close the lid and grill about 5 minutes. Remove to a cutting board. Slice and serve with the hot pepper or dill pickle.