I am a fan of a really good sandwich. To me a sandwich is something you can be highly imaginable with, or one that you can get as basic with. Think of your standard peanut butter sandwich. Two pieces of white bread with a layer of peanut butter in between. That alone, as basic as it is, is a pretty darn good sandwich, and a sandwich that one of my kids packs for lunch on a regular basis. But think about it, and let’s get creative. Add a bit of honey to the peanut butter sandwich, or some nice banana slices, or heck a bit of chocolate and bacon, and there comes that sandwich that you imagined it to be, and let’s face it, it is hard to screw up a sandwich.
The Dagwood sandwich is one of those sandwiches, where as basic as the ingredients are, you can get highly creative when building it. If you are not familiar with a Dagwood sandwich, well, take a look at my picture below, or think of it as a club sandwich on steroids. It is a multi-layered sandwich, loaded with a variety of meats, cheeses, lettuce, and condiments, among other things.
As I have been wanting to make a Dagwood for some time now, I decided to go for it, and made a trip to the deli counter. Thankfully the deli was not too crowded when I visited the counter, as I was about to take a bit of time ordering. Typically when you arrive at the deli you are ordering a couple of things, but this was not one of those times, and I do believe the young deli helper had a look on his face, that ‘are you kidding me?’ look.
Let’s get started.
(Serves 2)
Ingredients: [Print this Recipe]
- 5 slices of whole grain bread
- 3 tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp spicy mustard
- 1 tomato, sliced
- Standard head lettuce
- Few leaves of Romaine lettuce
- 1/4 lb roast beef, thinly sliced
- 1/4 lb hard salami, thinly sliced
- 1/4 lb pepperoni, thinly sliced
- 1/4 lb of Black Forest ham, thinly sliced
- 1/4 lb of smoked turkey, thinly sliced
- 1/4 lb of pastrami, thinly sliced
- 1/4 lb of sharp cheddar, thinly sliced
- 1/4 lb of white American cheese, thinly sliced
- 1/4 lb of Swiss cheese, thinly sliced
- Olive (optional)
Begin by mixing the mayonnaise and mustard in a bowl, and mix well.
Take one slice of bread and add a bit of the mayonnaise mixture. Â Top with a slice of tomato, some lettuce, then the turkey, and a slice of sharp cheddar cheese. Â Top with another slice of bread. Add a bit of the mayonnaise mixture on top, then top with some white American, ham, salami, and lettuce. Top with another slice of bread and repeat with the mayonnaise mixture. Add some roast beef, a slice of tomato, the pastrami, and a slice of Swiss cheese. Â Add another slice of bread, repeat with the mayonnaise, and add the cheddar, pepperoni, and lettuce. Â Top with the final piece of bread, spreading some mayonnaise mixture on the bottom.. Take a toothpick and pierce on olive on the top through the top piece of bread.
Now just sit there and look at this masterpiece. Whatever you do, do not be intimidated. My wife was a bit intimated and resorted to make a standard turkey sandwich. I think the mustard, which she is not a fan of, intimidated her. That is my belief. So as I was expecting to share this tower of a sandwich, I was left alone. I was left to sit there and take pictures of it, then gaze at it, and then out of now where, my daughter said ‘I want some of that!’.
I sliced the Dagwood on a diagonal, and stared some more. Then, I tore into it.
The Dagwood is stacked. The Dagwood is really fun to eat, and every bite is loaded with an amazing flavor combination. You will find out for yourself when making one. Enjoy.