Quality ingredients
As with everything, the better quality of your ingredients, the better the result. Choose some really lovely crusty sourdough or baguette. Are you a butter, mayonnaise or pesto person? Whatever you choose, make sure to use premium butter, mayonnaise (home-made is better), or home-made pesto. We prefer to toast our sandwiches, as they hold their shape better if you having them later on and we like the crunch. If you're frying them off in a pan, consider a press to weigh them down, which is what Stanley Tucci does. If some of the ingredients are a bit chunky, slice them up into bite sized pieces which makes for easier eating.
Take your sandwiches to the next level
Sandwiches need to be quick and easy enough to knock up – without too much mess – while we juggle work and home school; ergo, sandwiches just fit the bill. But not all sandwiches are created equal. Next time you go to stock up on supplies, why not throw a few leftfield ingredients into your trolley so that you may spice up your sandwich game over the next few days?
Here are a few delicious ideas to spruce up your lunchtime whatever day of the week.
Stanley Tucci's Favourite Sandwich
Desert Island Dishes
If you found yourself on a desert island as does Stanley Tucci on Desert Island Dishes, this a sandwich you'd be dreaming of. It's grilled cheese, prosciutto, mozzarella, basil leaves and home-made pesto, all grilled in a frying pan so that it's a melting concoction.
Smashed Chicken Sandwich
Julius Roberts
We love many of Julius Roberts' recipes but his sandwiches always hit the spot and as such, we've had to include a few of them here. They're messy, gooey and delicious. This one, made with fried chicken thighs, has a very special sauce, blending rosemary, anchovies, garlic, olive oil and a squeeze of lemon. Pile into ciabatta and you'll be singing.
Tuna Melt
Nell's Kitchn
Nell makes sandwiches for a living so we can rely on her for the ultimate recipe for tuna melt. She likes a proper crunch to her sandwich, so uses pickled gherkins, capers, red onion and chilli. The choice of bread is all important and she has chosen a focaccia style bread, which is toasted. She spreads over some Calabrian chilli paste and then the tuna mixture, all finished off with some Kettle salt and vinegar crisps.
Steak Sandwich
Julius Roberts
Julius says 'keep it simple' so find the best steak you can. Take a couple of spoonfuls of creme fraiche and mix with Dijon mustard. To cook the steak, start slowly by rendering out the fat out, before adding butter, garlic, rosemary and a couple of anchovies. Rest the steak once cooked. Toast a baguette, slice the steak and start assembling the sandwich by spreading the creme fraiche mix, add rocket, and then the steak.
Courgette Sandwich
Julius Roberts
Here's an interesting combination. Who would have thought that courgettes would make for a tasty sandwich filling. Here courgettes are thinly sliced and lightly fried in olive oil with some lemon zest. Make sure the slices don't lose their shape. Toast a baguette, spread with artichoke paste, before adding prosciutto cotto, burrata, basil leaves and some of the cooking juices from the courgettes. Julius says that this is the best sandwich but the other two we've included here are just as lip-smacking.
Go To Work From Home Lunch
Deliciously Ella
Not a sandwich as such, but you could easily make it into one. The fibre packed topping has seven plants in it, including butterbeans, artichokes and plenty of green herbs. It's quick to prepare and is suitably filling and good for you.
Leek, Marmite and Gruyere Toastie
Nats Nourishments
Another great combination of ingredients, the saltiness of Marmite, sweetness of fried leeks and grated Gruyere. Pile the ingredients into a couple of slice of good sourdough and toast in a frying pan. It takes ten to fifteen minutes to make but it's worth every second of the preparation.
Bow Sandwiches
The Fast Foodie
You need squishy white bread for this, some Nutella and then you're in business. It's a fun idea for children's parties and looks good, lots of Instagram qualities there if you're into posting what you cook. Do check out the feed as you'll find plenty of toasty inspiration.
Quick and Easy Harissa, Halloumi and Honey Toastie
Olive Magazine
This absolute beauty of a vegetarian lunch comes courtesy of one of our favourites: Sabrina Ghayour, queen of Persian/British cuisine. It is, essentially, a posh take on cheese on toast – but as new twists come, this one is as tasty as it gets. Oozing salty halloumi, delicate rose harissa and drizzling sweet honey to offset it all, the result is pure bliss on a plate. We may have hit sandwich nirvana.
Canned Sardine, Tomato and Caper Sandwiches
Saveur
This simple little sandwich a) packs an intense flavour punch and b) transports us straight to the Mediterranean idylls we’re missing so badly. This is one we’ll be rolling out through the summer months and packing for all our riverside picnics needs. The key is in getting your hands on really good tomatoes – heritage if you can – and then tossing them in with the rest of the ingredients. We would add, if you can do this the day before (or first thing in the morning), the flavours will be all the more intense. As the recipe suggests, not-quite-fresh focaccia gives exactly the right oily but crusty base. Absolutely lovely.
Fishfinger Sandwich With Nordic Dill Salsa
Signe Johansen/ The Guardian
We love it when a childhood classic gets a sophisticated twist. The fishfingers themselves require nothing fancy; you’re basic Bird’s Eye freezer staples will do the job nicely. The bread is entirely up to you; we’d go for something crusty, but if you cleave to the white sliced loaves of youth, that’s absolutely fine too. For the beauty comes in the salsa; using dill, capers, lemon, olive oil, horseradish, parsley and gherkins, it is fresh, tangy and totally transformative. We’d suggest make a good batch to have a couple of days in a row. Indeed, as Signe Johansen suggests, it also works beautifully as salad dressing or on new potatoes.
Grilled Chicken Caesar Sandwiches
Epicurious
Chicken Caesar sandwiches are, rightly, a classic. What we especially love about these ones is the pillowy soft brioche bun base contrasted with the gorgeous crunch of the fennel-basil slaw. The recipe recommends using chicken thighs and deeply charring them in the Worcestershire sauce, garlic, lemon, pepper, mayo and cornichons marinade. The combination of soft bun, charred chicken and crisp fennel is sublime.
Reuben-ish Sandwich
Jamie Oliver
No list of great sandwiches would be complete without a nod to New York, home of the outsized pastrami concoction. This one, which comes courtesy of Jamie Oliver, is super easy and quick. He suggests three slices of pastrami, some lovely Swiss cheese on toasted rye bread, all layered in with gherkins and sauerkraut (the last two friendly ingredients for a happy gut, which even makes it vaguely healthy). But the biggest nod to New York? The fact that it’s so big it needs two sticks to hold it together.
Japanese Style Oyster Po’Boy Sandwiches
Delicious Magazine
Want to add a touch of class to your mid-week sandwich? Why not fry some sustainably caught oysters in panko breadcrumbs and load them into a large baguette? There is some work required – you’ll need to make wasabi mayo and pickle some cucumbers – but once you have them, you can eke this one out over a few very tasty days.
Muffuletta Sandwich
Delicious Magazine
If Jamie’s New York sandwich is too light on the carnivorous stuff for you, then why not give this American classic a go? Hailing from New Orleans, it was created in 1906 at Central Grocery Co on Decatur Street by an Italian immigrant called Salvatore Lupo. It’s the full works: mortadella, salami, sliced coppa, provolone cheese with carrot, cauliflower, onion, celery. One thing’s for certain: no one is going hungry after this bountiful beauty.
The Perfect Croque Monsieur
BBC Good Food
Who doesn’t love a croque monsieur? The Gallic staple is pure comfort food, thanks to the grated gruyere, Dijon mustard, ham and Bechamel sauce. Classic never goes out of style, and a croque monsieur will always keep its status in our top ten.
