The Best Sandwich You Never Thought to Make

When I asked Chef Joey from The Weary Traveler for a go-to recipe, this was what he told me:

Good bread, peanut butter, ham, mayo, spinach, tomato, mustard, sausage, hot sauce. damn good sandwich!

Peanut butter, HAM? Oh dear Lord. And then once I got over that, there was mayo staring me right in the face.

So yes, even though I know he is a great chef and clearly knows his sandwiches, I had my doubts. I am my mother’s daughter. In my head, there are certain ingredients that just don’t sound good together. Call me crazy, but peanut butter and meat are one of those combinations. And then throw in mayonnaise? What had I gotten myself into?

And I admit, I procrastinated in buying the ingredients. The only three things we actually had were spinach, hot sauce, and mayonnaise. We are not sandwich people so having to buy bread and lunch meat meant a special trip to the store.

And because I am true to my word. I did make the sandwich. And even I, the anti-sandwich person, have to admit that Chef Joey was right. It was a damn good sandwich. In the realm of sandwiches, I have to admit this is one of the best.

D.G. Sandwich

Sourdough bread (or your favorite bread)
Ham
Sausage/Hard salami
Tomato (this mini version is from my garden!)
Spinach
Mayonnaise
Peanut Butter
Hot Sauce
Yellow Mustard

For my version, I toasted the bread first. I needed an element of crunch. If you don’t want to toast your bread, Joey suggests adding potato chips.

I decided to go with peanut butter on one side and mayo/hot sauce/mustard on the other.

If you can’t tell, I am struggling most with the peanut butter, it seemed ‘safer’ to add all the sandwich ingredients to the regular condiment side.

Then I piled the spinach on high, took a deep breath, and topped it with the peanut butter slathered piece of bread.

Recipe Review:

I took a bite and slowly chewed. I was shocked. It tasted good, damn good. The condiments paired perfectly together.

The biggest surprise was the peanut butter. The sandwich would not be complete without the sweet, creamy, nutty taste of the peanut butter. The hot sauce came in second adding bright notes of heat and flavor. The mayonnaise was creamy and evened out the overall taste while the mustard brought in a nice flavor kick accentuating the sweet ham and spicy sausage. The spinach and tomatoes add nice texture and prevent it from becoming a meat-fest. Though I am not a fan of lunch meat, I have to say the two meats completed the arc. With two different textures, they really enhanced each other and the overall taste.

All in all, I have to admit that you should really try this. Or at the very least, don’t hesitate to combine peanut butter with meat and maybe throw in some mayo, you will be surprised at how well they go together.

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What are your favorite sandwich ingredients?

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