No time of year is bad for po-boys, but something about Mardi Gras really makes me want to eat some good ones. If you know me, I think there is no better bought po-boy than the ones at Pollman’s Bakery.

Their bread is always crunchy with a moist interior and I can never decide between the three choices. If I am watching what I eat, I get the turkey. If I am having a great day, or a very bad day, I am likely to go for the ham and cheese with pickle. I like making them from time to time as well.

The sandwich is as you likely know, a shorter name for poor boy, because sandwiches of this type typically were the cheapest meal, with the least expensive one being the one with the lowest quality fillings (but also usually the best – hence debris po-boys). I have even had a french fry po-boy with roast beef gravy – cheap but good.

It is all in the bread. You can buy good French bread at Pollman’s, Guido Guy, The Fresh Market and in a pinch Bruno’s. I have not yet seen any at Naman’s, but their baguettes are good so if you see some try it. It has to be quality, fresh bread – I am very spoiled after my recent trip to Paris, but we all should demand good bread. You can put anything inside one.

In a pinch, purchase some deli ham, provolone cheese, mayo, lettuce and pickle. I don’t eat tomatoes this time of year and hate raw onion, but those are good to add as well. Dressed means you want it all. Sausage, oyster, shrimp, flounder, cheeseburger, roast beef – you can put anything on a po-boy. Roshelle’s has a wide selection that will not disappoint.

I have my own recipe for roast beef suitable for po-boys, but I came across this one on the internet that I plan to try during Mardi Gras if I can get past the Crisco (they make a non trans fat one now)

Roast Beef for Po-boys

Makes 10-12

1 beef shoulder roast, about 5 pounds

One quarter pound piece of salt pork, sliced into one-quarter inch strips

6 to 8 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups minced onion

1 tablespooon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon Creole seasoning blend

One fourth cup bacon drippings or solid shortening (e.g., Crisco)

6 carrots, diced

6 ribs celery, sliced

1 tablespoon minced parsley

2 to 3 sprigs fresh thyme

1 cup good red wine

6 to 7 cups boiling water

2 beef marrow bones

2 to 3 quarts beef stock

Cut a pattern of incisions across the top of the roast every couple of inches, each long and deep enough to hold a slice of salt pork. Combine half the garlic, 1 cup of the onion (mince this finely), 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of the black pepper, and push this mixture into the slits you’ve made for the salt pork. Press salt pork into the beef and tie it securely, trying to make the shape of the roast as even as possible for even cooking.

In a pot broad and deep enough to hold the roast with room to spare, melt the drippings or Crisco over medium heat. Brown the roast well all around, keeping the salt pork inside. Add all remaining seasonings, carrots, celery, parsley and thyme to the pot, cooking until the onions are limp. Add wine and enough boiling beef stock or water to nearly cover beef. Add bones. Cover pot and simmer 4 hours, until beef is very tender.

Remove beef from pot to another dish that will hold dripping juices. Raise heat under liquid and boil hard, uncovered, 45 minutes. While boiling down the gravy, baste the roast so it doesn’t dry out.

Remove salt pork strips from beef and slice it as best you can (it will fall into chunks and shreds; the smaller you shred it, the more it’ll be like the legendary “debris” from Mother’s), putting the pieces into a separate serving or storage dish. Strain the gravy, season it to taste with salt, freshly ground pepper and optionally a small pinch or two of cayenne and pour it over the beef. There should be about a quart of gravy. The resulting mixture should be sloppy, luscious and profoundly beefy.

Still a mystery

I have called and called all over town with no result as to what definitive is or might go into the former Gus’ building on Dauphin Street just east of Broad. There is a fever pitch of work taking place at the moment, with a great deal of speculation.

A few close to the situation have all said that it is being fixed up in hopes of luring a tenant, perhaps from New Orleans (and not Brennan’s).

Kinnon Phillips is Lagniappe cuisine editor. Contact him at kphillips@lagniappemobile.com.

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