If you’ve been following Simply Fresh Cooking since the beginning, this sandwich might look eerily familiar – but back then it was called a Reuben Style French Dip with Spicy Slaw. That was Bill’s second post ever… awwww. Please pay no attention to those old photos of mine, by the way.
Bill thought up the idea for that genius sandwich when we had leftover corned beef from St. Patty’s Day. I never, ever have been able to forget how fantastic that was. Juicy and messy, crispy and soggy at the same time from the hot beef broth, a little spicy crunch from the slaw… I couldn’t wait for a year to pass to eat it again.
But, things happen. This year I wasn’t up for all of the work that Bill put into making it last year. My surgery recovery is taking way longer than expected because of some other chronic health issues that are getting in the way. Bleh.
So, I took the easy way out. There are only a few differences between Bill’s Reuben sandwich from last year and the sandwich in this post. He shredded the veggies for the homemade slaw, he made homemade pickles for the slaw, and the hoagie was turned inside out and grilled. Oh, but let us not forget the fact that he made his own Corned Beef (whaaaaat?). What I’m saying is, he didn’t buy it out of the package. Yeah. That’s just how he rolls. *Cough*. Fancy pants. *Cough*.
My easy (but still just as good) sandwich uses packaged corned beef, a bag of packaged slaw mix, jarred pickles, and it’s not grilled – just broiled open-faced to melt the Swiss cheese. Popping it under the broiler for a few minutes actually makes half of the hoagie golden brown, so you’re still getting a little bit of that crispiness from the bread that you might be missing from Bill’s version.
Let’s talk pickles real quick. If you want to make homemade pickles, go for it. Fancy pants Bill also has a post for Quick Pickles. If you’d rather not take that extra step, go for something like Nathan’s brand. They’re so good and still have that “made from scratch” feel you’d get from a homemade pickle.
Have I mentioned the homemade mayo for the slaw? Guess who has a post for that, too?
You guessed it. Fancy pants. 
I kid.
But seriously – this is an excellent splurge for a special occasion, and this big ol’ messy sandwich really is a treat!
Happy St. Patty’s Day!
Rachael xoxo
- ⅔ cup canola oil mayonnaise (see notes)
- ⅓ cup ketchup
- 1 and ½ teaspoon prepared horseradish
- 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon honey
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ⅛ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon minced shallot
- ½ of a dill pickle, diced (see notes)
- ¼ teaspoon caraway seed
- hot sauce or hot pepper powder to taste
- 1 (16-ounce) bag slaw mix
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 loaf of French bread (we purchased bread from Jimmy John’s)
- cooked corned beef, thinly sliced – enough to cover the bottom of your bread loaf (corned beef is easier to slice when cold)
- 4 slices Swiss cheese, big eye
- hot au jus (broth) from the corned beef, strained (optional)
- In a small mixing bowl combine mayonnaise, ketchup, horseradish, lemon juice, honey, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, shallot, pickle, caraway seed, and hot sauce. In a large bowl, toss slaw mix and slaw dressing until combined. Salt and pepper to taste. Add more hot sauce or hot pepper powder at this point if you’d like it spicier. Set slaw aside or place in refrigerator until ready to use.
- When ready to assemble sandwiches, carefully cut the French bread loaf in half, lengthwise, but don’t cut all the way through. Open the bread loaf and place on a foil lined baking sheet to begin building your sandwich. Place corned beef on the bottom half of the bread, and arrange all 4 cheese slices on top of the meat (an easy way to make all of the cheese “fit” is to cut each slice of cheese in half into a triangle shape, then place cheese on the meat with the triangles overlapping a little). Place under the broiler on high until cheese is melted and the top half of the bread is golden brown – watching closely to be sure not to burn.
- Next, place desired amount of slaw mix on top of the corned beef and cheese. Fold top half of bread over the slaw and cut it in half on the diagonal to make 2 sandwiches. Dip in hot au jus, if desired.
Quick Pickles Recipe – http://simplyfreshcooking.com/2012/08/quick-pickles/
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