Rowdy Recipes: The Reuben Sandwich

When Rowdy said he wanted me to post this recipe I said, "What?  EVERYONE knows how to make a Reuben Sandwich." 

He said, "No. they don't." 

I said, "Wanna bet?" 

And he said, "Sure." 

And I said, "but..uhmmm...how do we do that exactly?  How do we actually know if everyone knows how to make it or not?" 

And he said, "Post it and find out."

Righty-O.

Ingredients:

2 slices of rye bread (we like sourdough rye)

Cooked corned beef sliced thinly

1-2 oz. Gruyere cheese

2 Tbsp thousand island dressing (we like Ken's brand)

1/4 cup sauerkraut- drained

1 Tbsp butter

Here's what ya do:

1. Go to the German store and buy the rye bread.  Or any store I guess.  Just make sure it is yummy fresh bread.

2. Cook your corned beef.  It is so lovely and packaged with seasonings that all you have to do is rinse it off, pat dry, place it in a pan, sprinkle the come-in-the package seasonings, cover with foil and cook until done. That takes about 3-5 hours depending on the size.

Let it sit for 10 minutes and then slice it thinly and  cover with foil to keep it warm. It is supposed to look pink--but it is DONE and not rare.

3. Slice the Gruyere cheese into thin slices.

4. Make your own sauerkraut.  Or I guess you can buy it in a jar.  Just make sure to drain as much liquid as you can so that your sandwich is not soggy.

5. Heat up your pan or skillet on medium-high and then butter each slice of bread on each side.  I said butter aka not margarine. For the very reason that it is butter.

6. Lay the bread down on the buttered side on the skillet until it is browning evenly-approximately 2-3 minutes.

7. Add the sliced cheese on both pieces of bread until it melts.

8. Pile the corned beef high on one of the slices of bread.

9. Place sauerkraut on the other piece of bread and then slather it with thousand island dressing.

(This picture does not look appetizing to me.  But I promise it is!)

10. Once each side of bread/toppings has thoroughly warmed through, bring both sides of the bread together to sandwich it.

11. Cook for another minute and then flip, smashing down with your spatula and cooking 1 minute more. I suggest using a toothpick at this point to keep it from falling apart and then slice in 2 to make your sandwich eating easier.

There now! Did you know how to make it? 
My dishes tonight depend on your answer.