I always try to include as many healthy, nutritious products into my diet as I can, so recreating a salad as a sandwich is a great way to do that, while still getting the gluten some of us still desire ;).
This cobb “sammy” (my daughter’s word for sandwiches when she was little) is always a winner when you’re building a sandwich board or platter for a crowd. Have you ever seen those boring deli trays? …assorted processed cheese and meat slices, with mundane salad-type accompaniments, and don’t forget about the gooey wonder bread!
…Give me a break, we can do better than that and the best part is it’s really easy to impress your guests and your taste buds when you use fresh, quality ingredients. Feel free to make this recipe your own and try it with other salads for the perfect hand-held lunch.
[ingredients title=”Equipment”]
- Toaster
- Butter knife or spreader
- Chef knife
- Serrated knife (to cut tomatoes, bread, and completed sandwich)
- Large sauté pan or black iron cast skillet. *
[/ingredients]
[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]
- 2 slices, artisanal multi grain, seed and nut bread, toasted *
- 4-6 oz. lemon, garlic aioli *
- 5 oz. baby leaf spinach
- 3 large ripe heirloom tomatoes, sliced thin
- 4 extra-large hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced
- 3-4 oz. purple micro greens
- 6 oz. Boar’s Head, MarBleu Monterey Jack cheese, sliced *
- 3 avocados, pitted, peeled, and sliced
- 3 scallions, chopped
- 6-12 slices, applewood smoked bacon * (6 slices thick/12 slices thin)
- 1 lb. roasted turkey breast
- Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
[/ingredients]
Chef Gerrie’s Notes:
* Pan: If you’re making a lot of sandwiches you’re going to need a lot of bacon. Use a foiled or papered baking sheet to cook a larger amount of strips in less time. Lay your bacon on the sheet without overcrowding and cook for 20-30 minutes at 350° F – turning strips once during the cooking process. Remove from oven once cooked to your desired crispness and lay on paper towels to cool before handling.
* Artisanal bread: You can find fabulous artisanal bread at any major grocery store or bakery. Pick one that looks good to you keeping in mind the texture and taste. When making a sandwich board or platter you want to mix textures and flavors for a dynamic overall dish. I like whole grain bread for this recipe because of it’s rustic flavor and chewy crust.
* MarBlue Monterey Jack cheese: If you can’t find this blue jack cheese improvise with your favorite crumbed blue and Monterey Jack cheese.
* Bacon: Bacon is bacon is bacon, and it’s all delicious. Thick or thin, applewood, hickory, or peppered…they’re all great, so choose what looks good to you.
* Aioli: Mix mayonnaise with a wee bit of pureed garlic and lemon juice together. Add in some chopped scallion for an extra zip.
[directions title=”Directions”]
-
Get your “mise en place” (French culinary speak for “everything in its place”) before you build your sandwiches. Arrange everything in an assembly line starting with your toasted sandwich bread; put all the bottom pieces below the tops so when you finish you can just fold over the top and voila! I
I suggest using a large cutting board, sheet pan, or cleared counter top to give yourself enough space for assembly of ingredients. Now let’s start stacking! - Smear a small amount of aioli on each side of your toasted bread slices.
- Stack your veggies on top of one side of the bread starting with the baby leaf spinach, then tomato slices, hard-boiled egg slices, a couple grinds of salt and pepper, and then the purple microgreens.
- Stack the rest of your ingredients on the matching side of your bread. Lay the cheese, avocado, scallions, a couple more grinds of salt and pepper, turkey, and finally, bacon.
- Assemble your sandwich by folding the turkey side over to match its mate with the veggies. Slice in half or quarters to make bites more manageable and if necessary, use a toothpick or skewer to keep the sandwich stacked.
- Serve with crispy potato chips or a cup of warm soup. Usually I add some chips to the inside of my sandwich for more crunch and to bring back the kid in me!
[/directions]
