Beef BBQ Sandwiches & Roasted Sweet Potato Fries

Our lunch today was outstanding!  We had Beef BBQ Sandwiches that were out of this world!  The flavor was so amazing!  We both wanted more, but we’re saving the other two for lunch tomorrow (we’ll see how they taste left over).  The recipe was easy to make, but having to have the meat cook for 1 to 1.5 hours took forever (especially when you’re hungry).  If you make this meal, keep the timing in mind and start early so you can eat when it’s actually lunch time.  I will definitely make this again (heck, it might even become a Saturday lunch every week for us…..yes, it’s that good!).  I burned the bun tops, so disregard them in the photo.

The Roasted Sweet Potato Fries were incredible too.  I actually like sweet potato fries far more than regular french fries.  They’re SO good!  The cooking directions were great, but when the recipe was followed, the fries turned out more like baked potato fries (not crisp at all, but still good).  I turned on the Broiler and crisped them up a bit and they were perfect!  I will also make these again.

What a great side for the BBQ Beef Sandwich.  This meal was definitely a winner for both of us!

BEEF BBQ SANDWICH

Serves 4

1 TBSP whole-wheat flour
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp onion powder
1 lb. top round roast or steak, extra-lean, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
Olive oil spray
3/4 cup low-fat, lower sodium beef broth
2 TBSP liquid smoke
1/3 cup barbecue sauce
1 cup white onion strips
4 whole-grain or sprouted-wheat hamburger buns

In a medium plastic bag, combine flour, garlic powder and onion powder. Add beef and shake bag until beef is evenly coated. Refrigerate beef for at least 15 minutes.

Preheat a medium, nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, lightly mist pan with spray, then add beef. Brown beef on all sides, about 1 minute per side, then reduce heat to medium. Add broth and liquid smoke. When liquid comes to a boil, reduce heat to low (liquid should still be boiling slightly). Cover and cook beef, stirring occasionally, for 1 to 1.5 hours or until it’s very tender. (The pieces should easily fall apart when smashed with a fork.) Using a slotted spoon, drain any excess liquid from beef and transfer the liquid to a medium bowl. Using a fork, separate pieces so beef is somewhat shredded, then mix in barbecue sauce.

During the last 5 minutes of cooking the beef, lightly mist a small, nonstick frying pan with spray and place it over medium heat. Add onion strips and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, place bun halves, insides down, in a medium, nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Cook until just toasted, about 2 to 4 minutes. Place each bun bottom on a plate. Pile 1/4 of beef mixture onto each bun. Top with 1/4 of onion strips. Add bun tops. Serve immediately.

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ROASTED SWEET POTATO FRIES

Serves 4

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled
1 TBSP canola oil
1 tsp chili powder

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Cut sweet potatoes in half lengthwise. Cut each half into 3 or 4 wedges.

In a mixing bowl, combine sweet potato wedges with oil. Sprinkle chili powder over sweet potatoes and stir again. Place sweet potato wedges on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, turning wedges several times during roasting so that they cook evenly.