My favorite sandwich of all time is a Reuben. I particularly crave them in the Autumn months for some reason. When I lived in Miami FL decades ago there was a landmark deli called
Wolfie's that had my benchmark for a Reuben for many many years.
Many and most places have a tough time coming up with a classic Reuben these days.
I've made my own the last few years, including baking my own rye bread at times, but still seem to have always known something more needed to be done.
This week I wanted a Reuben for watching the VP debate, and went searching online for a recipe.
I found one, which I copied precisely down to the orders of the layers. I used Boar's Head corned beef and lacey swiss, and I warmed the end production in our Panini press.
It
might be as good as what I had at
Wolfie's in the late 1970's......
INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons Thousand Island Dressing
2 (1/2-inch-thick) slices rye bread
1 1/2 ounces sliced Gruyère or Swiss cheese
1 cup sauerkraut, drained and squeezed of excess moisture
4 (1/4-inch-thick) slices pastrami or corned beef (about 4 ounces)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
INSTRUCTIONS
Spread 1 tablespoon of the dressing on one piece of bread and top with half of the cheese, half of the sauerkraut, and all of the meat. Spread another tablespoon of the dressing over the meat and top with the remaining sauerkraut and cheese, in that order.
Spread the remaining tablespoon of dressing on the remaining piece of bread and place it on top of the cheese, dressing side down. Press firmly to close the sandwich, then evenly spread the butter on the outside of the sandwich.
Heat a heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium heat, place the sandwich in the pan, and press down on the sandwich with a spatula. (Alternatively, you can cook the sandwich in a sandwich press.) Cook until the bread is crisp and golden brown, about 4 minutes. Flip and cook until the second side is golden brown, the cheese is melted, and the sandwich is warmed through, about 4 minutes more.
http://www.chow.com/recipes/18630-reuben-sandwich