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Sack Lunch: Beef and Mango Wraps and Black Bean Relish

Posted by Robin Bellinger, June 2, 2008 at 12:45 PM

Despite the fact that roast beef sandwiches were probably born in the days when people frequently had large leftover roasts to use up, today we’re so accustomed to the deli counter that cooking your own sandwich meat might strike you as rather pretentious. I know I was surprised to discover how easy it is. Throwing a roast in the oven is much less time-consuming than, say, baking all your own bread (although that would be nice, too, wouldn't it?). It also saves money and tastes extra good—papery-thin deli meat has nothing on this.

Here is a wrap sandwich made with leftover roast beef. To make a dinner of the roast beef, chop some bell peppers, onions, and potatoes, toss them with olive oil, and add them to the sheet pan with the roast. To make meat for only a few sandwiches, just buy a smaller roast and monitor cooking closely. If roasting meat in June is not your idea of a good time, you could, of course, also make the wrap with deli meat. The black bean relish is a super fast side for this or any meal.

About the author: Robin Bellinger recently escaped a career in book publishing, which was cutting into her cooking time. Now she's a freelance editor and can bake bread on Tuesday afternoon if she feels like it. She lives in Midtown Manhattan with her husband and blogs about cooking and crafting at home*economics.

Beef and Mango Wraps

- serves 4, with leftover meat -
Adapted from the January/February 2007 issue of Everyday Food

Ingredients

2 1/2 pounds eye-of-round (or other) beef roast
2 tablespoons olive oil
Coarse salt
Pepper
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme (optional)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from two limes)
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded, halved lengthwise, and cut crosswise into thin strips
1 mango (about 1 pounds, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips
4 whole wheat tortillas (10-inch) or wrapper of your choice
4 cups loose spinach (about 5 ounces), trimmed, well washed, and dried

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Put the roast on a small sheet pan or baking dish, rub with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and thyme (if using). When the oven is hot, roast 40-50 minutes, until the meat is tender and an instant-read thermometer inserted into its thickest part registers 130°F (for medium rare). Let meat cool. Store in an airtight container.

2. When you’re ready to make the wraps, slice the roast beef as thin as you like. Whisk together the mustard, lime juice, and remaining tablespoon olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Toss the onion, bell pepper, and mango with this dressing and set aside.

3. Line each tortilla with spinach, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Arrange beef slices down the center of each wrap and top the beef with the mango-vegetable mixture. Drizzle any extra dressing over the wraps.

4. Fold in the opposite sides of each wrap and roll up tightly.

Black Bean Relish

- serves 4 as a side dish -

Ingredients

1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Cumin (optional)
Minced garlic (optional)

Procedure

Toss all ingredients together in a bowl. I like this with a big dash of cumin and with minced garlic instead of onion.

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Tags: mains, roast beef, Sack Lunch, sandwiches, sides

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