French Dip Sandwich

French dip is a Californian sandwich that, despite its name, doesn't have much to do with France, except for the fact that it is served au jus, a French expression meaning with juice/broth. The sandwich consists of thinly sliced roast beef (alternatively, roast pork, leg of lamb, turkey, or ham), black pepper, mustard, and horseradish on a long white French roll (or a baguette) that has been dipped into pan juices or gravy. Sometimes, Swiss, American, Monterey Jack, or blue cheese is added to further enhance its flavors. The usual accompaniments include coleslaw, potato, and macaroni salad, hard-boiled eggs, sweet or sour pickles, black olives, and yellow chile peppers. The sandwich was invented by Philippe Mathieu, the owner of an L.A.-based deli and sandwich shop called Philippe the Original, who unintentionally dropped the sandwich into a roasting pan full of drippings and served it to a hungry policeman. The policeman returned the next day and brought his friends along to try this new delicacy, and the French dip sandwich was born. Today, it is so popular that it has spread across the country, all the way over to beef-mad cities such as Montreal, New York, Toronto, and Wichita.