A whole new kind of club…stacked!

An all-time diner favorite, this mile-high club is our last sandwich this week, with a HG twist.  This triple decker tower of ingredients layered with artisan bread is truly a showstopper.

Reclaim dinner this week, with this rich and satisfying robust sandwich.  Who says you can’t serve sandwiches for dinner?  Don’t just think of sandwiches for livening up lunch.  With school in full swing, and everyone’s hectic schedules this fall, we decided to make Heather’s go-to  weeknight staple, her take of the roast beef club.

The clubhouse or also known as the Dagwood is on the rise, here at MDF.  Heather built this decadent meaty sandwich with style, care and flair.

First and foremost, you should know that Heather goes to great lengths to curate high-end carefully sourced ingredients, so with that in mind, she started with rich toasted dark rye and it grew from there, slathering our version of Kewpie mayo with the addition of fresh grated horseradish and chopped woodsy rosemary.  Then added fresh crisp greens, juicy ripe plum tomatoes, smooth but slightly tangy Muenster (cow’s milk cheese with a thick orange rind) and mounds of slow roasted, thinly sliced, rosy pink roast beef.

Highly anticipated for this combination of flavors and textures, this beauty was a huge hit in our test kitchen as Heather crafted her three-story stack of goodness for our photo shoot.  At the end of the day, the result was a hearty dinner which was ready in no time, and boy was that a good thing, because boy were we hungry.

Triple Decker Roast Beef Club with Horseradish Kewpie Mayonnaise

Ingredients:

Makes 2 large sandwiches

• 1/2 pound roast beef
• 1/2 pound Munster cheese – sliced very thin
• Horseradish Kewpie Mayonnaise (recipe below)
• Leaf Lettuce
• Roma Tomatoes – sliced thin
• 6 slices or Dark or Marble Rye Bread
• Tooth picks – you will need them!

Directions:

1. Toast the bread and spread horseradish Kewpie mayonnaise on 3 sides.
2. Build the sandwiches–first with a layer of lettuce, then tomato, then cheese, then roast beef.
3. Top with another layer of bread and add to that lettuce, then tomato, then cheese, then roast beef and the last piece of bread.
4. Add toothpicks to help hold together.  Find someone to share this with, it’s a big sandwich!

Kewpie Horseradish Mayo

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup MDF Kewpie mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons prepared white horseradish
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:

1. Whisk Kewpie mayo, horseradish and rosemary in small bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Recipes by Rj of Urban Table

Photo Styling & Art Direction by Traci of Urban Table

Photography & Art Direction by Heather of Heather Gill Photography

Modern Day Forager

MDF Down Home Meatloaf …redefined

MDF Down Home Meatloaf 

One of the best feel-good foods is our next go-to sandwich, the humble old fashioned meatloaf sandwich.  We would venture to guess, that just about every family has a recipe that has been handed down from generation to generation of this down-home classic.

With so many variations, this American staple may be customized to your liking, there are so many choices, such as the addition of oatmeal, crumbled cheese, hard-boiled egg, and even a blanket of bacon to keep the loaf moist, flavorful and tender, the options are endless.

Our mighty meatloaf is open-faced, packed with high-quality meat, our MDF ketchup, a rustic toasted roll, and if that wasn’t enough, we have crowned it with a fried egg.  It couldn’t be more comforting or satisfying.

The secret to making this recipe, is to keep the mixing and handling to a minimum, keeping the loaf moist and tender.  Our tasty tangy ketchup adds to the moistness and the concentrated flavor is hearty, thick and chunky.  Next, we added crisp peppery rocket leaves and juicy ripe heirloom tomatoes for a pop of freshness.  Then a farmer’s egg, which just takes it over the top, the runny yellow yolk, for us, makes it our ultimate comfort food.  The prep to plate for this tried-and-true classic takes no time at all and is worth making over and over.  Adding this recipe to your collection is a must.

MDF Down Home Meatloaf Sandwich

Ingredients:

• Rustic style roll (we served our’s open faced and used the the bottom of the roll)
• Generous slice of MDF Meatloaf (recipe below)
• MDF Glaze (recipe below)
• Rocket leaves to taste
• Thick slice of Heirloom tomato
• 1 egg
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Butter bottom of roll and place butter side down on a griddle or medium heat skillet to toast.
2. Brown meat loaf slice on both sides in 1 teaspoon of olive oil in skillet or on griddle until heated through.
3. Fry sunny side up egg.
4. Place meatloaf slice on toasted bread, top with MDF ketchup to taste then add tomato and rocket leaves.
5. Top with fried egg.
6. Season with salt and pepper.

Options for other toppings:

Fried onions, cheddar cheese, Monterey jack cheese, pepper jack cheese, sliced jalapenos, dill pickles, or bread and butter pickles.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 
cup yellow onion, minced
• 3 
cloves garlic, minced
• 1
 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
• 1/2
 pound ground beef
• 1/2 
pound ground pork
• 1/2
 pound ground veal
• 1/2 
teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2
 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1
 egg, beaten
• 1/2
 cup milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. In a large bowl, mix onion, garlic, Worcestershire and bread crumbs together.
3. Combine ground meats with breadcrumb mixture.
4. Season the meat mixture with salt and pepper.
5. Add the egg and milk combine thoroughly, but don’t over work the meat.
6. Use a greased loaf pan as your mold, (or use your hands to free form) fill it, lightly packing then turn the meatloaf out onto a lined baking sheet.
7. Bake for approximately 90 minutes, glazing after 10 minutes, 30 minutes and 60 minutes.  Until the internal temperature is 160 degrees F and the meat loaf is cooked through.
8. Once cooked, remove from the oven and let it cool, about 90 minutes.

Glaze:

• 1/2 cup MDF Ketchup
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and spoon over the meatloaf after 10 minutes cooking time and again after 30 minutes and again at 60 minutes.

Recipes by Rj of Urban Table

Photo Styling & Art Direction by Traci of Urban Table

Photography & Art Direction by Heather of Heather Gill Photography

Modern Day Forager

Build a better sandwich

 

There is so much more to making a sandwich than slapping all sorts of ingredients between two slices of bread.  This week, we will take the sandwich and elevate this portable package to new heights.  Is there an art and a formula to making a great sandwich?  We sure think so.

With attention to detail, carefully sourced ingredients, and a little extra time, you can make an unbeatable sandwich.  First, it all starts with the bread… should it be crusty, crispy or chewy?  The bread is the blank slate, the perfect landscape, think about your ingredients, are they right for your bread, you don’t want a soggy vessel.  Look for hearty, healthy, local artisanal bread with texture.  Next, choose high quality protein and fresh, local produce.   Add vegetables such as cucumbers for an extra crispness then try apples or pears for added sweetness and crunch.  Finally don’t forget to spread on the house made condiments, which are easy to make and you control what goes in your spreadable.  Great bread, great ingredients, well-thought out flavors, textures and combinations equal a great sandwich.

Argentinian Steak Sandwich

The steak sandwich has taken many forms over the years, in different parts of the country and all over the world.  It has also spawned many other tremendous sandwiches like the cheesesteak, the French dip, my personal favorite the Italian beef and so many more.  The basis for them all is a good piece of meat (or a well marinated and/or seasoned one) and great bread.  It only figures that a country like Argentina that loves its steak would also be home to one of the most flavor packed steak sandwiches in the world here is our take:

Ingredients:
• Skirt Steak
• Chimichurri–MDF Chimichurri Recipe
• French bread loaf of roll

Directions:
1.  Rub skirt steak with Chimichuri and marinate for at least 2 hours. (we do ours overnight in a zip lock bag)
2.  Grill to desired doneness. (no more than med-rare)
3.  Slice on bias against the grain about 1/2 inch thick.
4.  Shingle on bread and top with more chimichurri.
5.  Serve with more chimichurri as a dip.

Variations:
• Add grilled red pepper
• Serve with mayo, lettuce and tomato
• Serve with sautéed onions

Note:
For a great side dish toss chimichurri sauce on potato wedges and roast in 400°F oven until just tender, about 40 minutes.

Grilled Salumi and Cheese with Mustarda

By all accounts the good ‘ol American style grilled cheese sandwich has been around since the 1920s and there are versions of this standard in just about every culture around the world.  We love a good grilled sandwich as much as anyone so this is our fusion of a grilled cheese, a Croque-monsieur and a Panini. The key, to the perfect grilled sandwich is that the flavors and textures all compliment each other and we think this one does just that…

Ingredients:

• 8 
slices of thick sliced sourdough bread
• 4 
tablespoon MDF Spicy Mustarda http://moderndayforager.com/2013/08/22/moderns-take-on-mustarda-and-chimichurri/
• 8 
thick slices of your favorite Salumi (we love Cristiano Creminelli’s Barolo Salami)
• 1 pound Gruyere Cheese, sliced
• 1
 tablespoon butter

Directions:

1. On one piece of bread, spread the mustarda in an even layer.
2. Fan the salumi slices over mustarda.
3. Lay the cheese on top of the salumi.
4. Top with another slice of bread.
5. Spread 1/2 teaspoon butter on the top slice of bread.

*Repeat this for the remaining three sandwiches.

1. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat and add the remaining butter to the pan.  Once the butter is foaming, place the non-butter side of the sandwich in the pan. (we used our Panini maker)

Heat for 5-6 minutes until golden brown and the cheese begins to melt.  Using a spatula, flip the sandwich to the other side for another 3-4 minutes until golden brown and the cheese is completely melted.

Recipes by Rj of Urban Table

Photo Styling & Art Direction by Traci of Urban Table

Photography & Art Direction by Heather of Heather Gill Photography

Modern Day Forager