Outstanding sandwiches

Who doesn’t love a good sandwich? When done just so, even the biggest grouch can reach euphoria.  Just the right combination of flavors on delightfully soft bread, can water anyone’s mouth just thinking about it.  This week I bring you a few brilliant sandwich ideas I found through Pinterest.  Yeah, I know, I’m redistributing someone else’s genius, but these were too good not to share.

My first find was great for meatless Monday.  I hadn’t seen a veggie burger that wasn’t bean-based, and I love sweet potatoes, so that really got my attention.  What made me want to eat the pictures on my computer screen was reading about the roasted garlic spread that tops them.  There’s something magical about roasting garlic, and not just the smell.  The way that you can take something as pungent and bitter as solid, raw garlic, and through heat alone, unleash it sweet, savory, tanginess in the form of a lovely paste is truly magic to me.  Since it’s just my in-house test subject and I, I halved this recipe.  Frankly, I’m really looking forward to making them again soon.

Smoky Sweet Potato Burgers with Roasted Garlic Cream and Avocado (from Eats Well With Others)
Makes 12 sliders  

Ingredients  

• 2 large sweet potatoes
• 2 bulbs garlic
• 1 cup cannellini beans
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• pinch of cumin
• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 2/3 cup greek yogurt
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400.

Pierce potatoes all over with a fork. Wrap each in a paper towel and then microwave for 5 minutes. Flip over and cook for five minutes more. Remove from the microwave, slice in half and let cool until you can scoop out the flesh.

To roast the garlic, cut the top quarter off of the two bulbs of garlic. Drizzle 1 tsp olive oil over each bulb. Wrap in aluminum foil and roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes.

In a bowl, coarsely mash the beans with a fork. Add in the sweet potato, then mash together. Mix in the panko, flour, egg, paprika, salt, black pepper, and cumin. Place the bowl in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.

While the mixture is chilling, combine the greek yogurt with the roasted garlic cloves, maple syrup, and salt and pepper to taste in a food processor and pulse until pureed.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 2 tbsp olive oil. Remove the burger mixture from the fridge and form into 12 equal patties. Place them in the skillet once it is hot. Let them cook until they are fully set and golden on one side, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook for another 5 minutes.

Assemble by topping the burger buns with the roasted garlic sauce, a burger, more sauce, and avocado slices.

This sandwich doesn’t really need a recipe, but I’ll put one down for good measure. I found this on BroEats.com a while ago, and was looking for a reason to make it.  Luckily, while rummaging through the freezer last week I recovered some leftover sloppy joes, and knew what I had to do.  The Wayfarer is the beautiful lovechild of a sloppy joe and a grilled cheese.  So brilliant, yet so simple – how did I never think of this?  there are so many ways to do it, too, with so many options of bread and cheese.  This time around I went with colby jack on wheat bread (what I had on hand) but I could easily see this elevated, for instance making this with Provolone on Italian herb bread.

The Wayfarer (inspired by Broeats.com)

• 1 batch Sloppy Joes
• your favorite bread
• a cheese of your choosing (I went with Colby Jack, two slices per sandwich)
• Butter for grilling
• Avocado slices (optional)

Instructions:

Butter one side of each piece of bread.  Between two unbuttered sides, place cheese, and a spoonful or two of sloppy joes.

Slap that on a hot griddle and when on side is golden brown, flip it.  Let sit a few more minutes, until it starts to leak gooey goodness.  Serve with avocado slices

Tip of the Week: In a pinch, a cup of less of beef broth can be swapped out for watered down Worcestershire sauce at about a 1:3 ratio.

Sally Michaelis

Sally is a wife and domestic diva in Maryland. She approaches life with gusto, humor, and a passion that is unmatched. She is a classic woman, with a modern twist and is the kind of woman who will throw back a beer and watch Star Trek with her husband, and entertain the church croquette group with homemade cheese cake. Sally offers something for everyone, and is always experimenting and cooking up a storm in her kitchen.