This sounds like a lot of prep for a sandwich, but pound for pound, it’s a great deal.
eye of the round roast
Ajvar (eggplant and red pepper vegatable spread)
shallots
garlic
rosemary
salt and pepper
lettuce
Italian or French bread
I’ve been buying my meat at Village Market Place in Skokie (4034 Dempster), with lots of unique eastern European food products and a quality, low priced meat department. I got a huge lamb shoulder blade a few weeks ago for 15 bucks. You can find the Ajvar there as well. Look for the bright red spread in Hungarian or Greek shops. Obviously get a roast proportionate to the people you are feeding, but a $20 cut should feed a family for several days. It lasted me through four days worth of sandwiches, stews and udon noodle dishes.
Prep the roast by sticking some slices of garlic and shallots and rosemary sprigs into slits cut in the meat. Rub on some salt pepper and dried herbs of your choosing. Sear the roast in a big pan, browning it on all sides. Take it out of the pan, wrap some butcher twine around it, length wise and width wise. You might want to take the opportunity to do some roasted potatoes along with the meat. Add a cup of water to the roasting pan and put the meat on a rack. Roast at 350F until just a bit more than rare. 140F internal temp. Let sit for 15 minutes. Carve it up as thin as you want, put it on thick slices of bread, slather on some ajvar, put some lettuce on it, and serve.