Sandwiches

The June 7 issue of New York magazine featured an article on New York’s top 51 sandwiches. Since I am a sandwich fanatic, I poured over their selection with great anticipation. In general, the emphasis was on the newly evolved sandwich, such as “baguettes blobbed with sea-urchin roe smeared with Korean mustard oil butter”, or Bánh Mì, the Vietnamese sandwich that has become the latest rage.

Among the 51 selections, there were only two that caught my fancy. One was Thomas Keller’s tuna salad sandwich at Bouchon Bakery (rated No. 19), the other one a porchetta with Calabrian chile paste and provolone from Salumeria Rosi (No. 34.) The strangest one was a pig’s head sandwich with maple Banyulos, pickled veggies and spicy aïoli from Resto (No. 44).

To restore my faith in a good sandwich we had sandwiches for supper.

George’s sandwich

Kaiser roll
Olive oil
Dijon mustard
First layer of low sodium ham, shaved
First layer of thick slice of creamy cheese Havarti
Cole slow
Second layer of ham
Second layer of Havarti
Sliced tomato and pickle on the side

Beer: St.-Sixtus

My sandwich

Ciabatta Roll
Olive oil
Dijon mustard
First layer of smoked Swedish ham, thinly sliced
First layer of medium sliced creamy Havarti
Thinly sliced pickle
Second layer of Swedish ham
Second layer of Havarti
Sliced tomato on the side

Wine: Willm, Réserve, Pinot Gris 2008

After I assembled the sandwiches, I pressed them down slightly, cut each in half, and baked them in the preheated toaster oven for about 5 minutes, just enough to melt the cheese.

Prosciutto and mozzarella is another favorite of mine. The only problem is that while Agata & Valentina has good prosciutto, their mozzarella tends to be rubbery; Ottomanelli makes good mozzarella, but carries no prosciutto, which leaves me with Schaller & Weber’s two different kinds of hams, Havarti cheese, sliced to order, Cole slow and dill pickle. Granted, I took the easy way out, but having a sandwich shouldn't be a major production.

The word Sandwich was named after John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, an 18th-century English aristocrat who ordered his valet to bring him meat tucked between two pieces of bread. It is said that Lord Sandwich was fond of this form of food because it allowed him to continue playing cards while eating without getting his cards greasy from eating meat with his bare hands.
The Cuban sandwich is a case in point. The one I occasionally get from Sandy’s is so packed with ham, roasted pork, Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, mustard, I need both hands to hold it, and never mind playing cards.