• THE SANDWICH
  • 8 slices of good rye bread
  • 8 slices of Swiss cheese
  • 1 pound corned beef, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 pound sauerkraut
  • 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) Russian dressing
  • 2 tablespoons salted butter
  • THE DRESSING
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) chili sauce, cocktail sauce or ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon drained horseradish
  • 1 teaspoon minced onion
  • Dash of Worcestershire sauce
  • Salt and pepper to taste

I adore grilled sandwiches of all kinds! How could it be that I am just now realizing how good a Reuben is? My good friend and neighbor, Karlie, recently told me about her favorite sandwich –The Reuben!  I had seen Reuben’s on menus before. My hubby has even ordered them from time to time and I’ve always known what makes up one of these sandwiches, but I had never thought to make them for my family. I had never even tasted one before a couple of days ago!

W-e-l-l, let me tell you! These guys are (in a word)…dangerous!

A super sandwich to make, the Reuben gets it’s incredible flavor from the delicious rye bread, the homemade Russian dressing, the sauerkraut, the yummy thinly sliced corned beef and of course the Swiss cheese.

The Rachel is similar, using pastrami and coleslaw, but I think the Reuben wins the prize for having more heightened flavors within the slices of rye bread.

The origin of the sandwich is unknown, but does it really matter? My goodness, was I ever glad that my friend shared her love of this grilled sandwich with me!

What a great lunch it was, but it would be equally delicious for dinner with a side salad or a lovely bowl of soup.

Here’s how I made it:

Spread one half tablespoon of your Russian dressing on all eight slices of bread. Build one slice of bread by placing one piece of Swiss cheese on top of one slice, 1/4 of your thinly sliced corned beef, one quarter of your sauerkraut and top it all off with one more slice of Swiss cheese. Place the second slice of bread on top.

Spread a little butter on one side. Cook on a grill pan until that side is nicely browned. While browning, butter the top side of your bread. Carefully flip over your sandwich and brown the second side. Cut in your sandwich in half and take a BIG bite!