The Super Bowl is over. You are either elated or totally bummed by the outcome. Your guests have all gone home and lovingly left you to clean up the mess. You open the refrigerator and proclaim, "There's a damn supermarket in here!" Well, welcome to the day after the Big Game but don't dispaire about the leftovers, it's time to have some culinary fun!
When I had my restaurant in San Francisco there would be a few times a year we would have something very special on the menu. We called these special occasion dishes "Chef Signature Sandwiches" and they were always big hits because everyone loves a great sandwich and even better, sandwiches are often times a perfect meal! They have a proper amount of protien, fiber, carbs (and yes, your body needs carbs) and dammit, their tasty!
The secret to a good sandwich is very simple, yet often times overlooked by the stores which sell these tributes to the 4th Earl of Sandwich (1718 - 1792) - yes, the sandwich is named after royalty. The secret is the combination of good bread and fresh product. I am going to share with you the top three "Chef Signature Sandwiches" I've presented in my career and interestingly enough, the ingredients are probably the same as you now have in your refirgerator. The triune of party meats are here: beef, turkey and ham.
Angus Dream on Sour Dough: All you need is some thinly sliced beef (we used Angus beef at the restaurant), thinly sliced tomatoes, softened Brie cheese, horseradish and steak sauce. Of course all of this gets piled on a couple of slices of sour dough French bread. This is, in my humble opinion, the best "steak" sandwich ever presented.
King Arthur Ham Sandwich: Here we have some thinly sliced ham, sliced dill pickles, grated pepper Jack cheese, grated Cheddar cheese, caramelized onions and some yellow mustard. Pile this on some French bread or rye bread. I use grated cheese for this sandwich because it not only blends with the other ingredients better but the presentation is quite nice and in the restaurant business, we go for visual appeal as well as taste. I should also point out that the caramelized onions and the ham are a perfect taste marraige.
Turkey Royal on Whole Wheat French Bread: This sandwich is actually a masterpiece of texture and taste. You have some thinly sliced turkey breast (or dark meat), some cranberry sauce, sliced avocado and pickled peperoncini's. Here you have the elegance of the turkey and wheat bread combining with the sweetness of the cranberry meeting the tartness of the peperoncini's and the avocado contributing its smooth richness.
You might be wondering why I recommend thinly sliced meats. Quite simple - a sandwich should be able to be bitten into and not have to be ripped apart to eat. It also makes for a less sloppy eating experience since all the ingredients stay within the bread and don't end up on your clothes.
The slideshow for this column (to the left) shows each of the sandwiches as they would be presented at the restaurant. A Chef always presents his sandwiches "face up" so his guest can decide how much of what he/she wants.
***Chef Larry Edwards can be followed on twitter @ChefLarryEdward ***
Comments
Chef Edwards, we absolutely must interview you for The Expendable Edibles Blog, as we continually speak to chefs about their use it-or-lose it mindsets. Marlene Samuels and I are the founders of a recipe database entirely dedicated to gourmet rescues of "perfectly good food" in six categories. Visit us: www.ExpendableEdibles.com and www.ExpendableEdibles.com/blog and get in touch!
Food Philosopher, Nancy Gershman
Thank you and I will certainly check out the website. Have a wonderful week and enjoy your Valentine's Day!
-- Chef Larry Edwards
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