Turn a simple French Roast Beef into healthy and deliciously nutritious cold cuts by simply chilling it and then slicing it super thinly.

never go for those super salty and unhealthy store-bought cold cuts ever again!

In my past life, I would always buy tons of cold cuts every week. Not only would I use them in the kids’ sandwiches all the time, but they’d also be my “munchy” of choice when I came back from work at night and needed a little “pick-me-up” while I was waiting for dinner to be ready. Some nights, that would take quite a while, so a few slices of lunch-meat would usually do a good job at keeping my tummy happy and a tad more patient.

Little did I know back then that these things were FAR from being healthy or good for me. Sure, they happen to be a source of protein, but they are also loaded with all kinds of chemicals and preservatives and contain TONS and TONS of salt.

Thank goodness I know much better now! For instance, I like to take a simple French Roast Beef and turn it into healthy and deliciously nutritious cold cuts by simply chilling it and then slicing it super thinly. I’m telling you, once you’ve had a taste of this, you’ll never go for those super salty and unhealthy store-bought cold cuts ever again!

never go for those super salty and unhealthy store-bought cold cuts ever again!

If you do bread, of course this cold roast beef makes UNBELIEVABLE sandwiches! It’s got so much flavor to it that you don’t need to add much at all. A little bit of Dijon mustard and maybe a handful of baby greens for a bit of color and texture and you’re in for a serious treat.

Honestly, I don’t do much bread myself (I actually borrowed that one from my kids for the pictures!) so sandwiches aren’t really my weapon of choice to use up this beautiful beef.

What do I like to do with it, then?

First and foremost, just like I did back in the days, I love having it around just to munch on… During my mindless trips to the fridge or cupboards, when I’m just looking for that little something to graze on, you can be certain that this cold roast beef will be the first thing that I’ll reach for, if I have some available, of course!

Another way that I LOVE to have it is alongside pan fried eggs in the morning, instead of bacon or sausages… talk about a healthy boost in protein! After a good workout, it’s absolutely ideal!

Sometimes, I’ll just dump a bunch of slices over a fresh garden salad and just as easily turn said salad into a complete meal. Or, have a whole big pile of cold slices of beef with a side of salad or sliced cucumbers and tomatoes, a handful of olives, a sliced avocado… it just makes for an instant, nutritious meal!

Frankly, this is just the kind of thing that I’d love to have in my refrigerator at all times. I guess it helps that I be a huge fan of cold meat. If you are too, then you definitely want to be whipping this up!

French Roast Beef - Cold Cut Style by Sonia! The Healthy Foodie | recipe on thehealthyfoodie.com

First, you need to get your hands on a beautiful French Roast. Mine was just a little bit under 4 pounds, which I think is a good size. Of course, you could go bigger or smaller, if you wanted to, but then you may have to adjust the amount of spices you’ll be using if you do that.

The spices, you will want to mix in a small container and then rub all over the roast.

French Roast Beef - Cold Cut Style by Sonia! The Healthy Foodie | recipe on thehealthyfoodie.com

Make sure you get some of the spices on ALL surfaces, including the ends!

French Roast Beef - Cold Cut Style by Sonia! The Healthy Foodie | recipe on thehealthyfoodie.com

Next, cove your roast tightly with several layers of plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator until the next day.

It would be a good idea to place your roast in a rimmed plate or baking dish to collect any eventual leakage. It really shouldn’t be leaking all that much, but you better play it safe, I guess. No one likes to have meat juices dripping all over their fridge.

Eeeeesh, not a very pleasant subject, is it? Movin’ on…

French Roast Beef - Cold Cut Style by Sonia! The Healthy Foodie | recipe on thehealthyfoodie.com

The following day, remove your roast from the fridge and take off the plastic wrap from around it.

Preheat your oven to 325°F and heat a few tablespoons of healthy cooking fat or oil in a heavy skillet set over high heat.

When your pan is nice and hot, sear the roast on all sides until a nice golden crust forms, about 1 minute per side. Again, don’t forget the ends!

French Roast Beef - Cold Cut Style by Sonia! The Healthy Foodie | recipe on thehealthyfoodie.com

Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake the roast uncovered for about 12 minutes per pound or until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the roast reads 130°F to 160°F, depending on desired doneness.

You’re looking at 130°F for rare, 145°F for medium-rare, 160°F for medium.

Honestly, though, for this particular project, I wouldn’t recommend that you went to medium, and even medium-rare might be pushing it.

Cold meat tends to be tad drier, so you want your roast to retain as much moisture as possible. If you cooked it too much, it would lose a lot of that precious moisture. So really, your best option here would be to stick with rare.

At least that’s my humble opinion.

French Roast Beef - Cold Cut Style by Sonia! The Healthy Foodie | recipe on thehealthyfoodie.com

When your roast has reached the desired temperature, take it out of the oven and return it to the rimmed plate or baking dish that you used previously — make sure you clean it first!

Promptly place your cooked roast in the refrigerator just like that, uncovered — you want it to breathe freely for the time being.

After about an hour, go back and cover it with plastic film and let it cool completely overnight.

French Roast Beef - Cold Cut Style by Sonia! The Healthy Foodie | recipe on thehealthyfoodie.com

On the third day, transfer your chilled roast to a cutting board, remove the twine, carve it as thinly as you possibly can and serve as desired.

And try not to eat the whole thing just by munching on it…

never go for those super salty and unhealthy store-bought cold cuts ever again!

French Roast Beef - Cold Cut Style by Sonia! The Healthy Foodie | recipe on thehealthyfoodie.com
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4.63 from 24 votes

French Roast Beef - Cold Cut Style

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Marinating / Chilling Time: 2 days
Total Time: 2 days 1 hour
Turn a simple French Roast Beef into healthy and deliciously nutritious cold cuts by simply chilling it and then slicing it super thinly.
Servings: 8

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Mix all the spices in a small container and then rub this spice mix all over the roast.
  • Cover the roast tightly with several layers of plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator until the next day. It would be a good idea to place your roast in a rimmed plate or baking dish to collect any eventual leakage.
  • The next day, remove your roast from the fridge and take off the plastic wrap from around it.
  • Preheat your oven to 325°F.
  • Heat a few tablespoons of healthy cooking fat or oil in a heavy skillet set over high heat. When the pan is nice and hot, sear the roast on all sides until a nice golden crust forms, about 1 minute per side. Don't forget the ends!
  • Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake the roast uncovered for about 12 minutes per pound or until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the roast reads 130°F to 160°F, depending on desired doneness - 130°F for rare, 145°F for medium-rare, 160°F for medium
  • When the roast has reached the desired temperature, take it out of the oven, return it to the rimmed plate or baking dish that you used before (make sure you clean it first) and promptly place your cooked roast in the refrigerator. After about an hour, cover your roast with plastic film and let it cool completely overnight.
  • Transfer the chilled roast to a cutting board, remove the twine, carve as thinly as you possibly can and serve as desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 285kcal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 51g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 133mg, Sodium: 1012mg, Potassium: 831mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Calcium: 51mg, Iron: 4mg
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Author: Sonia! The Healthy Foodie

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