August is National Sandwich Month, so we’re sharing the recipe for one of our all-time favorites from The Hot Bread Kitchen Cookbook – a classic reuben with a twist. For extra credit, make the bread yourself. But if you want to avoid too much time by a hot stove, let us make it for you.
All August long, we’re offering free shipping on our local rye using code SANDWICH at checkout.
Reuben With Sriracha Special Sauce
Serves 4
My cousin Dave Ward has always been a big supporter of Hot Bread Kitchen and an avid consumer of good bread. He also knows a lot about sandwiches. A long time ago, he showed me his technique for the classic sandwich, and my relationship with our rye bread has never been the same. While Dave says it’s not traditional to use a seeded rye, he agrees it makes a worthwhile difference in flavor. If you can, purchase the corned beef from a good deli. Using quality meat will make a big difference in this sandwich.
Ingredients
½ cup mayonnaise, homemade or store-bought
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon minced red onion
1 dill pickle, finely diced
A few dashes of Worcestershire sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 thin slices New Yorker Rye or store-bought rye bread
8 slices Swiss cheese
1 pound thinly sliced corned beef
¾ cup drained sauerkraut
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1. Stir together the mayonnaise, ketchup, Sriracha, parsley, onion, pickle, and Worcestershire sauce in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. Set a medium skillet that will accommodate 2 sandwiches over high heat, and let it get really hot while you prepare the bread.
3. Put the slices of bread on a work surface. Spread one side of each slice of bread with the sauce (make sure you use all of it) and put a slice of cheese on each piece of bread.
4. Put the corned beef in the hot skillet and cook, stirring now and then, until its edges are crispy, about 2 minutes. Take the corned beef out of the pan and immediately divide it among 4 of the slices of bread and spoon the sauerkraut on top. Close the sandwiches with the remaining 4 slices of dressed and-cheesed bread.
5. Reduce the heat to medium and melt half the butter in the skillet. Put 2 sandwiches in the skillet and cook, pressing down with a spatula, until the bottom is browned and crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Carefully turn each sandwich over and cook until the second side is browned and crisp and the cheese is completely melted, another 4 minutes. Repeat with the remaining 2 sandwiches and serve immediately.
