"sandwich day" news and stories

We asked for a sandwich, and we sure got it. Slashfood readers share their sandwiches, and we've got the first set here.

jys is bossy, but when bossed around to make a sandwich, puts together a Donkatsu Sandwich: roasted garlic edamame hummus, sliced donkatsu, a generous drizzle of donkatsu sauce, and pineapple cole slaw between grilled flatbread.

JenJen sent us a Lamb Kofta Burger with Coriander and Chilli Pesto, but we couldn't resist nosing around her blog and found these Almond and Molasses Moonrocks, vanilla buttercream sandwiched between almond cookies.

Reader Rebecca shares a recipe for her favorite Italian-inspired sandwich: layer one side of crusty Italian bread with 1 Tbsp. pesto and 1 tsp. of hot mustard, top with sliced chicken breast, romaine lettuce, sliced tomato, then top with the other side of the bread that has been spread with 1 Tbsp. mayo and black pepper.

The one time I tried a Cuban sandwich, I was in South Beach. It was early morning, and I was, uh, on my way back to our hotel from our evening out. As we often are after a long night of fun and frivolity, I was hungry, so I stopped to get something to eat. I had heard of Cuban sandwiches, so I ordered one, thinking that it would be some special, sweet bread stuffed with spicy exotic fillings. Boy, was I ever disappointed that it was basically a ham and cheese sandwich pressed on a grill.

Perhaps my disappointment was naive, or perhaps the particular sandwich I ate was just poorly executed with sub-standard ingredients. I mean how could something that looks as good as Kevin's take on the Cuban sandwich be bad, especially when a key ingredient is citrus-marinated roast pork? The classic Cuban sandwich is made with Cuban bread, though an Italian or French bread can be used. The bread is slathered with yellow mustard, then layered with baked ham, thinly sliced roast pork, thinly sliced dill pickles, and Swiss cheese. The whole thing gets pressed down, traditionally on a plancha, but any type of sandwich press, even a homemade one, will do.

Sometimes, wolfing down a shred of ham between two slices of wheat bread from your left hand while starting the car with your right hand is all you have time for as you're rushing to your afternoon meeting.

But there are times when we take a moment. We use the good china, we "plate" our sandwiches, maybe we light a candle or two, and we sit down and really enjoy our sandwiches. When that's the case, we usally have something alongside our sandwich to round out the meal. Alright, so even if you don't bother with the candles, you're still going to have something on the side, right? Here are eight sandwich sides, some favorite, others not so much:

1. Dill Pickle - Simple, both to prepare and to eat.
   
2. Potato chips - This is a no-brainer. I am going to go out on a limb here and guess that a huge percentage of sandwiches are eaten as part of a sack lunch, so a bag of potato chips goes right along with it. As far as what kind of potato chips are the best, though? We don't want to get into that whole discussion, now do we? However, I will say that it would be pretty cool to match a non-traditional, slightly more exotic sandwich with some of the global flavors out there, like cilantro-lime potato chips with your banh mi.

This French toast and bacon sandwich could just be the ultimate breakfast sandwich - assuming that you aren't in the least bit worried about your weight and that you enjoy indulging in the morning, of course. It starts off with two thick slices of bread, soaked in an egg and milk mixture then fried into perfectly cooked french toast. The toast is then topped with a generous amount of lightly crisped bacon, allowing the pieces of overlap and for two layers. Once the bacon is in place, pour on some maple syrup and add the top piece of french toast. Eat with a knife and fork.

The end product is salty, sweet, filling and in no way can be considered health food. Ah well. You can't win them all, right?

"I want cheddar, but I'll settle for anything yellow."
"How can you eat that on your sandwich? Provolone is the best sandwich cheese."
"I prefer swiss."
"Get some Muenster, too!"
"And I want pepper jack."

This conversation, or one very much like it, plays over and over at family gatherings, barbecues and even during some weekend lunches. Cheese on sandwiches is a contentious issue and no one seems to be able to agree on what best complements their turkey, cold cuts or even tops a hamburger, for that matter. Can you narrow it down to just one type of cheese so you don't spend a fortune for a half-dozen cheeses at the market?

The yellow cheeses, American or otherwise, tend to go into kids sandwiches, where the color is just as important as the flavor. Judging from the selection of cheese that is offered at deli counters, many prefer mild cheeses, like muenster and provolone, which don't distract from the main components of the sandwich. The problem with those cheeses is that sometimes you can't taste the cheese at all. It's harder to match a stronger cheese with sandwich fillings and it can have the opposite effect, overwhelming everything else.

The three cheese groups don't often want to compromise, and after having dealt with a lot of cranky relatives, it seems prudent to spend the extra money at the store and get a cheese everyone likes. Unless you don't mind listening to complaints as you happily munch a sandwich topped with your favorite cheese.