Serious Eats / Lorena Masso

Why It Works

• Roast beef from the deli is a less expensive alternative to beef tenderloin.
• Croissants stand in for the flaky puff pastry used in traditional Wellington recipes.

Beef Wellington is a classic holiday centerpiece, and for good reason. Juicy beef tenderloin, earthy mushrooms, sharp mustard, and salty prosciutto, all wrapped in flaky, buttery puff pastry. Even without a ribbon, beef Wellington is the ultimate gift. But its preparation and its price can be prohibitive. The tenderloin needs to be only partially pre-cooked so it neither comes out raw nor overcooks once baked in the tastry. The pastry itself must be cold. The mushroom duxelles will ruin everything if they aren’t sufficiently dry. And the risk of making a mistake comes at the cost of a famously expensive piece of meat. Surely, I thought, there must be an easier and faster way to capture all the flavors of this classic dish without the stress and the price tag. As always, when I’m looking for answers in life, I look to sandwiches.

My love for sandwiches is lifelong. They’re endlessly riffable, portable, and appropriate at any time of day, and are an excellent vehicle for just about anything. I started thinking about how to translate beef Wellington into a sandwich. Sliced roast beef—homemade or from the deli—gets the job done perfectly. I used very thinly sliced London broil, but you can slice it to your preference. Prosciutto adds salty, fatty richness to the sandwich, and I wanted to layer it on top of the beef so the warm mushrooms could slightly soften the slices and bring out their flavor. Wellington is traditionally slathered in sharp Dijon mustard, so I made a sauce with equal parts Dijon and mayonnaise, plus a bit of horseradish for heat. Peppery arugula complements the kick of horseradish and provides a pop of much-needed color.

To replicate the flaky puff pastry exterior of traditional beef Wellington, I used a simple croissant. I cut them lengthwise, then split them open on a baking sheet to dry them out slightly for a satisfyingly crisp bite, even when sauced.

The last essential element of this sandwich is the mushrooms. In a beef Wellington, the mushrooms are prepared as a duxelles: finely chopped and cooked in a skillet with butter until softened and thickened to a paste-like consistency. Here, I skip the duxelles both because I prefer the flavor and heft of cooked sliced mushrooms in a sandwich, and also because no one wants to prepare a duxelles just for a sandwich.

This recipe is easily scalable for eight or 40, depending on who you’re feeding. And a great tip from my husband and in-house taster: Make these on mini croissants for an adorable party snack.

Serious Eats / Lorena Masso

Keep Screen Awake

4 large croissants, homemade or store-bought, split

1/4 cup (60 ml) mayonnaise

1/4 cup (60 ml) Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons (30 g) prepared horseradish

1 tablespoon unsalted butter (1 ounce; 14 g)

1 small shallot (1 1/2 ounces; 45 g), thinly sliced crosswise

16 ounces (454 g) cremini or button mushrooms, stemmed and cut into 1/4-inch slices

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves

1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, plus more to taste; for table salt, use half as much by volume

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

12 ounces (340 g) thinly sliced rare roast beef, homemade or store-bought (see notes)

4 ounces (113 g) thinly sliced prosciutto

1 ounce baby arugula (28 g; 2 cups)

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat to 375ºF (190°C). On a 13-by-18-inch rimmed baking sheet, place croissants cut-side up and toast until edges are lightly browned and slightly crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Set aside.

Serious Eats / Lorena Masso 1.

In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, mustard, and horseradish. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Serious Eats / Lorena Masso 1.

In a medium skillet over medium high heat, melt butter. Add shallots, mushrooms, thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are well browned, 6 to 8 minutes.

Serious Eats / Lorena Masso 1.

**To Assemble: **Using a butter knife or offset spatula, spread 1 tablespoon mayonnaise sauce evenly over 1 side of each croissant half. Top each bottom half with 3 ounces roast beef (about 2 slices), 1 ounce prosciutto (about 2 slices), and 1/4 of the arugula. Divide mushrooms equally (about 1/3 cup each) between the top halves and carefully flip top half of croissant onto each bottom half to close the sandwich, pressing gently to secure.

Serious Eats / Lorena Masso

Special Equipment

13-by-18-inch rimmed baking sheet

Notes

See our classic roast beef sandwich recipe for instructions on homemade roast beef.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Mushrooms can be cooked up to 3 days in advance and refrigerated in an airtight container. Reheat in a microwave until warmed through. The sauce can be prepared up to 3 days in advance and refrigerated in an airtight container.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
608	Calories
34g	Fat
43g	Carbs
33g	Protein

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Nutrition Facts Servings: 4 Amount per serving Calories 608 % Daily Value* 34g 44% Saturated Fat 13g 66% 121mg 40% 2496mg 109% 43g 16% Dietary Fiber 6g 22% Total Sugars 13g 33g Vitamin C 10mg 51% Calcium 80mg 6% Iron 6mg 34% Potassium 1334mg 28% *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)