Perhaps it's a girl thing, but, when I'm lunching in a deli, I'm more inclined to order a Rachel sandwich, made with turkey breast, than I am a Reuben, made with corned beef. There's more. While I usually order potato salad with my sandwich, if potato pancakes are on the menu, they're on my plate. If you're a fan of a classic Rachel sandwich, and, if you love potato pancakes as much as I do, you're gonna go wild over this open-faced sandwich served on one of my pan-fried shredded hash-brown potato pan-cakes, instead of between to slices of rye bread.
My hash brown potato pan-cakes were a happy accident:
I accidentally put a bag of shredded hash brown potatoes in the refrigerator instead of the freezer. What can I say, I was in a hurry that day. Mistakes happen. I am so glad I decided to open the bag before discarding the to-the-touch soggy mess this morning, because there was a nice surprise inside for me: glistening-white, ready-to-use, slightly-wet, shredded potatoes -- without all the time-consuming mess of doing it from scratch. I may will never shred fresh potatoes again. It didn't take but a few minutes to deduce that my supposed shredded hash brown potato tragedy, could easily, in reality, be a triumph, which played out at the dinner table that evening. My family gobbled them up.
They're the perfect foil for this incredible open-faced sandwich:
For each open-faced sandwich:
1 shredded hash brown potato pan-cake
2 ounces thin-sliced mild Swiss cheese, cut into thin julienne strips
3-4 ounces very thin-sliced deli-style turkey breast, close to room temperature (Note: If the turkey breast is cold, it will not heat properly when the sandwich goes under the broiler.)
1-2 tablespoons Russian dressing
3-4 tablespoons creamy Russian- or Thousand Islands-dressed coleslaw, or your favorite creamy deli-style slaw
~Step 1. To make each sandwich, on a broiler-safe plate (or on a baking pan lined with parchment if making multiple sandwiches), place 1-ounce of Swiss cheese julienne atop one crispy potato pan-cake. Top with 3-4 ounces thin-sliced turkey breast, followed by another 1-ounce of Swiss.
~ Step 2. Place the sandwich(es) 8"-9" underneath preheated broiler (too close and the cheese will burn) for 3-5 minutes, or until the top and bottom layer of cheese is melted. Remove from oven. Drizzle with some Russian dressing and top with a generous scoop of creamy coleslaw. Serve immediately.
Grab your knife, pick up your fork, &, dig in:
Try my Corned Beef Reuben on Potato Pancake Waffle too:
Turkey Breast Rachel on Shredded Potato Pan-Cake: Recipe yields instructions to make as many open-faced turkey breast Rachel sandwiches as you want to.
Special Equipment List: cutting board; chef's knife; broiler-safe plate(s); baking pan (optional); parchment paper (optional)
Cook's Note: I crave a Reuben sandwich once or twice a year. The Rachel sandwich, on the other hand, is: standard operating procedure in my kitchen. My refrigerator is rarely without some thin sliced deli-turkey and/or pastrami, and, my favorite Lacey Swiss cheese -- it often has a container of semi-homemade or deli-style coleslaw in it too. That means, with a slice or two of toasted Jewish-style rye bread, a Racheal sandwich is only a few short minutes away. ~ The Secret's in the Slaw Rachel-on-Rye Sandwich ~.
"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti
(Recipe, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2020)
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