cookin' at work...(ruben: St. Pat's day special)

... with a recipe one would assume was designed to be prepared on March 17, though according to the info. I received there is no history of the Irish nation being devoted to beef brisket. They do, as you know, have a long relationship with potatoes. Which resulted in the recipe for this week including mashed potatoes in the Reuben sandwich. Odd? Yes.

This particular recipe was for 'open faced' sandwich, with the layers stacked up on toasted rye bread. You put some really sharp (and pretty expensive) cheddar slices on the toast, then a layer of mashed potatoes (RTU from the meat dept.), slices of corned beef, and the cabbage and sauce that cooked in the oven with the meat. I could not make myself eat the meat, so don't know how it tasted.

It's not a very tender cut of meat. I remember my mom asking some Jewish friends how to cook it when I was young, and seeing her put it in the pressure cooker with some generic pickling spices. I recall it being so tender it would fall apart when you tried to slice it, and expect it cooked in fifteen minutes or so under pressure. It was really good on sandwiches, along with Swiss and 'kraut. Can't remember if we used the classic thousand island dressing or not, maybe just mustard. So seeing it with a different kind of cheese, plus the cabbage instead of 'kraut is not my definition of 'Rueben'.

For several years, I've gotten tickets to purchase corned beef sandwiches from a local group doing a fundraiser for their temple. I know they must make hundreds and hundreds of sandwiches, as it has been going on for decades. With the congregation making sandwiches by the dozens, plus all the church ladies  making an assortment of desserts to sell by the slice. A huge undertaking, that always happens in the spring. But when I went last year, and bought two of their famous sandwiches, I could not eat mine. I realized I eat so little meat, that I could not make myself enjoy my sack lunch. It was probably really good, piled high with slices of tender well-flavored beef, but just too meat-y for me to consume. No more of that for me. :-(

Rumor has it, from a very reliable source, the Rueben from the deli at Publix is really good so that is probably what I will have for lunch tomorrow. I think they make it with turkey or beef, so perhaps I will be able to consume my purchase? Otherwise, without the meat, it's really not a Rueben, right?