Reuben sandwiches always remind me of my late grandmother. Every time she took me out to eat in her small town of Burlington, Wisconsin it was, for the most part, to a diner. When I was younger she would without a doubt look the menu over, turn to me and say “now, get what ever you want” and then proceed to order her Reuben. Now I’m not sure if she was just being hospitable by offering me anything on the menu or if she was entertained by a 7 year old who would order a salad with Roquefort dressing. Even in the latter days when I was able to take my grandmother out for lunch and say “Grandma, please get what ever you want”, she still ordered a Reuben. I will never eat one with our thinking of her and our lunches out.
Reubens contain three key ingredients that make them the perfect response to that comfort food craving.
1) Really good corned beef – A meat that’s not too fatty, but full of flavor. Check out our homemade corned beef. It’s worth the wait!
2) Sensational sauce – You can find an easy recipe for Russian Dressing on our site.
3) A thick cut of rye bread – anything shy of a 1/2 inch won’t hold up with the amount of filling you want to pile into this sandwich. I searched all over Seattle for a really good rye for these Reuben and I found an amazing one at Macrina Bakery. If you’re a Seattlite, I recommend it highly. Please comment to this post with your favorite rye bread in your city!
Ingredients for one sandwich:
1 cup corned beef, very thinly sliced
2 slices rye bread with caraway seeds
2 tablespoons Russian Dressing
1/2 cup sauerkraut
1 thick slice Swiss cheese
2 tablespoons butter, softened
Directions:
Place thinly sliced corned beef in a shallow baking dish and drizzle with a little water or some of the reserved broth it cooked in. Cover tightly and microwave until heated trough about 1 minute for 1 serving.
Butter both outsides of bread and lay it open on a cutting board. Coat each inside of the bread with about 1 tablespoon of the Russian dressing. Layer the 1/2 of the slices with some of the corned beef. Divide the sauerkraut evenly over the meat, then top the sauerkraut with the slices of cheese. Place the remaining bread slices on top, dressing sides down.
Heat a heavy large skillet over medium heat. When hot, place as many sandwiches as you are making that can fit in the pan in, then cover with aluminum foil and place another heavy skillet on top. Cook for about 4 minutes. Flip and cook the second side until golden brown and the cheese is melted, about another 3 to 4 minutes. Serve immediately, with a dill pickle.
- 1 cup corned beef, very thinly sliced
- 2 slices rye bread with caraway seeds
- 2 tablespoons Russian Dressing
- ½ cup sauerkraut
- 1 thick slice Swiss cheese
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- Place thinly sliced corned beef in a shallow baking dish and drizzle with a little water or some of the reserved broth it cooked in. Cover tightly and microwave until heated trough about 1 minute for 1 serving.
- Butter both outsides of bread and lay it open on a cutting board. Coat each inside of the bread with about 1 tablespoon of the Russian dressing. Layer the ½ of the slices with some of the corned beef. Divide the sauerkraut evenly over the meat, then top the sauerkraut with the slices of cheese. Place the remaining bread slices on top, dressing sides down.
- Heat a heavy large skillet over medium heat. When hot, place as many sandwiches as you are making that can in the pan in, then cover with aluminum foil and place another heavy skillet on top. Cook for about 4 minutes. Flip and cook the second side until golden brown and the cheese is melted, about another 3 to 4 minutes. Serve immediately, with a dill pickle.