Reuben Style French Dip with Spicy Slaw

Need an idea for your leftover corned beef after St. Patty’s day?  One of my favorites has always been a reuben sandwich, but after I made corned beef from scratch there was a whole pot full of beautiful corned beef broth.  That gave me the idea of a corned beef french dip, but we only had enough leftover meat for one or the other.  Talk about being in a pickle… so why not have the best of both worlds and combine elements of the reuben into a french dip style sandwich.  The result is my Reuben French Dip.

We became big fans of Jimmy John’s bread after getting some free day old loaves a while back while dining in.  It really holds up well to the au jus and moisture from the slaw in this sandwich.  I have since found out that you can purchase day old loaves for $.50 or fresh loaves for $2.00.  The funny part is that I’ve never actually had to pay for the day old bread.  Every time I’ve gone to purchase one they end up just giving it to me.  That’s pretty cool!

In place of the kraut, I chose to make a homemade slaw with a reuben style russian dressing.  The recipe allows for enough to have some on the side along with your sandwich.  It’s a really tasty slaw with a little kick and trust me, you’ll want extra.

One of my goals for my blog posts is to take things that might not be considered particularly healthy and make them as fresh, healthy, and natural as possible… all of this without compromising the taste of course.

For this recipe I started off making homemade canola oil mayo.  It is amazingly easy and incredibly delicious.  If you must use the store bought stuff, I’d recommend all natural 100% canola oil mayo.  You should be able to find this in the health food section of your local supermarket.  It is a little pricey, so that’s another great reason to make your own.  I used Hunts® 100% natural ketchup with no high fructose corn syrup.  I was unable to find fresh horseradish so I went with Melissa’s® brand grated horseradish.  Next time I’ll be sure to track down some of the fresh stuff.  We like it hot, so I used Volcano Dust Level 2 for the heat in the dressing (see our Shop page to get yourself some).  Rachael suggested I try my hand at whipping up some homemade pickles, so I found this recipe for Quick Pickles.  I added some sliced onions and a little scotch bonnet powder from Volcanic Peppers.  I was very pleased with how they came out.

Reuben Style French Dip with Spicy Slaw

Serves 2-4

For the Dressing

• 2/3 cup canola oil mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 1 and 1/2 tsp prepared horseradish
• 1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp honey
• 1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
• 1/8 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp minced shallot
• ½ of a dill pickle, diced
• 1/4 tsp caraway seed
• dash of your favorite hot sauce or hot pepper powder to taste
• salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients except hot seasoning, salt and pepper in bowl and mix.  Then, season with salt, pepper, and a dash of the hot ingredient to taste.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

For the Slaw

• 3 cups green cabbage, shredded
• 1 cup purple cabbage, shredded
• 3/4 cup carrot, shredded
• ¼ teaspoon celery seed
• 1 cup of the dressing

Combine everything in a large bowl and toss.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

Note- 5 cups of slaw mix can be substituted for the cabbage and carrots listed above.

For the Sandwich

• 1 loaf of french bread
• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• corned beef (enough to cover the bottom of your bread)
• 4 slices swiss cheese, big eye
• hot au jus from the corned beef, strained

Brush the inside of the bread with olive oil and grill olive oil side down on a flat top griddle until golden brown.  (We made ours panini style and flattened with a brick covered in foil).  Cover the bottom side of the bread with the meat and add the cheese on top.  Place in the oven or under the broiler until cheese is melted and then top with the slaw mixture. Serve with the au jus and a side of slaw.

This sandwich is a real winner.  The saltiness of the corned beef contrasts well with the sweet ‘n spicy crunchy slaw.  Warning: it’s a messy sandwich so be sure to serve with an extra napkin.  Please comment with any questions or feedback.  Enjoy!

Bill

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