- Homemade Russian Dressing:
- 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
- 2/3 cup chili sauce
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons minced dill pickle
- 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon minced shallot
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, such as Tabasco
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Sandwich Build:
- 1 1/3 cups sauerkraut, squeezed of excess moisture
- 8 slices Swiss
- 8 slices marble rye bread
- 1 pound pastrami, shaved (Jeff likes Fumare's pastrami)
- Salted butter, softened
For the dressing: Combine the mayonnaise, chili sauce, sour cream, pickles, horseradish, lemon juice, shallots, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce and smoked paprika in a food processor. Thoroughly mix, but do not over blend; you still want to see some texture. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside or refrigerate in a covered jar until serving time.
For the sandwich build: Combine half of the dressing with the sauerkraut and toss. Place 1 slice of cheese on a piece of bread. Pile the meat high on the cheese, top with an additional slice of cheese, some of the sauerkraut mixture and the second piece of bread. Butter the outsides of the sandwich. Heat a heavy-bottomed nonstick skillet or griddle pan over medium-low heat. Add the sandwiches, cover with a heatproof bowl and griddle until golden and gooey in the middle, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip, cover and let cook until golden all around, another 3 minutes. Serve the extra dressing on the side.
Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: --
Ease of preparation: easy
Active Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
