Dining Features Article |
The Best Sandwiches: Chef's Secrets
By Erin Byers, editor
Given the culinary genius in Boston, we thought a good sandwich would be a cinch to find. So off we went, gobbling up more than 30 contenders. We deconstructed, then reassembled, them, taking into account bite radius, meat distribution, and overall dimension. And what did we learn? That finding the perfect sandwich is like rediscovering a lost art. From old favorites to new classics, edible escapes, and a few chefs’ secrets, here is our ultimate guide to the best.
Rick Gay’s Version of Rowdy’s Famous Chicken Sandwich
Parish Café (361 Boylston St., Boston, 617-247-4777, www.parishcafe.com) owner Rick Gay made his name making great sandwiches. Sort of. Most of the creations actually come from local chefs and are named for them, too. So when he goes home, he’d never eat a standard PB&J. Instead, he recreates one of Parish’s most popular: the Rowdy’s Famous Chicken Sandwich (as in Rowdy Bessey, chef at nearby Flash’s). “It’s decadent and over the top,” Gay says. “But I could eat it anytime.”
2 slices rendered applewood-smoked bacon
1 deluxe or bulkie roll
1 chicken cutlet, breaded and baked
2 slices Swiss cheese
2 slices cheddar cheese
1 tbsp. chipotle mayo (either store-bought or handmixed regular mayonnaise with chopped chipotle chiles)
1 lettuce leaf
1 tomato, sliced
1. Crisp the bacon in a skillet. 2. Layer the bottom half of the roll with the chicken cutlet, bacon, and both cheeses. 3. Toast in a toaster oven until the cheese melts. 4. Add the lettuce, tomato, and the top half of the roll. 5. Serve with chipotle mayo on the side.
Chef Frank McClelland’s Hard-Boiled Egg and Sardine Sandwich
L’Espalier chef Frank McClelland (30 Gloucester St., Boston, 617-262-3023, lespalier.com) fixes dainty finger sandwiches for the restaurant’s Saturday afternoon tea, but when he gets home to his three kids, sandwich-making turns serious. Weekends find him and the family concocting culinary masterpieces with fresh ingredients and plenty of time to assemble them. He tosses together this specialty for brunch, but warns that its success hinges on one thing: “The eggs, sardines, and bread all must be warm.”
1 large egg, hard-boiled and peeled, but still warm
3 fresh sardines, grilled and filleted
2 tomatoes, peeled
1 c. mixed greens
1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp. sea salt
Dash of freshly ground black pepper
1 French baguette, sliced lengthwise and toasted
1. In a medium bowl, smash egg gently with fork until yolk is broken up. 2. Add sardines, tomatoes, greens, olive oil, lemon, and salt. Toss together until greens are coated. 3. Fork mixture onto one half of baguette. Serve open-faced.
Greg and Lisa Sikora’s Grilled Chicken and Avocado on Marble Rye
Lisa and Greg Sikora, the owners of Appleton Bakery & Café (123 Appleton St., Boston, 617-859-8222, www.appletonbakery.com), may be humble about their sandwich-making prowess, but we still wanted to know what they, who pull together some of the South End’s most popular nibbles, eat at home. The answer: a very upscale grilled cheese.
2 slices marble rye
1 tbsp. butter
1 grilled chicken breast, thinly sliced
1 fresh avocado, sliced
2 slices American cheese
1 lettuce leaf
1 tomato, sliced
1 tbsp. olive oil
½ tbsp. red wine vinegar
1. Butter both slices of the marble rye and put them butter-side down in a frying pan. 2. To one piece of bread, add one slice of American cheese and the thinly sliced chicken breast. On the other piece, add the other slice of American cheese and tomato. 3. When the cheese is melted, add fresh avocado, olive oil, and red wine vinegar on top of the chicken. 4. To the other side, add the lettuce, then close the sandwich. Note: The lettuce and avocado should stay somewhat cold, so remove from heat once the cheese melts.
Chef Robert Lionette’s Sliced Mortadella on a Demi-Baguette
Robert Lionette is known for using a creative combination of ingredients at Garden of Eden (571 Tremont St., Boston, 617-247-8377, www.goeboston.com), where sandwiches, salads, and entrées take a gourmet slant. Artichoke soufflé, roasted garlic and goat cheese and daily pâté plates aside, when he’s assembling something for himself, he chooses to keep it simple. “I like mortadella, mortadella, mortadella,” he says. “Because of its fat content, it has some sweetness. Combine that with good olive oil that has a peppery bite and great bread. To me, that’s perfect.”
1 demi-baguette*
2 tbsp. Olio Taibi Sicilian extra-virgin olive oil
¼ lb. Salumeria Biellese mortadella (cured pork sausage), sliced
1. Split the baguette, drizzle the insides with olive oil. 2. Fill it with as much mortadella as you’d like. *Lionette recommends B&R Artisan Bread, 151 Cochituate Rd. (Rte. 30), Framingham, 508-370-7730; Salumeria Biellese mortadella available at Lionette’s at Garden of Eden.
Chefs' Secrets
Rick Gay’s Version of Rowdy’s Famous Chicken Sandwich
Parish Café (361 Boylston St., Boston, 617-247-4777, www.parishcafe.com) owner Rick Gay made his name making great sandwiches. Sort of. Most of the creations actually come from local chefs and are named for them, too. So when he goes home, he’d never eat a standard PB&J. Instead, he recreates one of Parish’s most popular: the Rowdy’s Famous Chicken Sandwich (as in Rowdy Bessey, chef at nearby Flash’s). “It’s decadent and over the top,” Gay says. “But I could eat it anytime.”
2 slices rendered applewood-smoked bacon
1 deluxe or bulkie roll
1 chicken cutlet, breaded and baked
2 slices Swiss cheese
2 slices cheddar cheese
1 tbsp. chipotle mayo (either store-bought or handmixed regular mayonnaise with chopped chipotle chiles)
1 lettuce leaf
1 tomato, sliced
1. Crisp the bacon in a skillet. 2. Layer the bottom half of the roll with the chicken cutlet, bacon, and both cheeses. 3. Toast in a toaster oven until the cheese melts. 4. Add the lettuce, tomato, and the top half of the roll. 5. Serve with chipotle mayo on the side.
Chef Frank McClelland’s Hard-Boiled Egg and Sardine Sandwich
L’Espalier chef Frank McClelland (30 Gloucester St., Boston, 617-262-3023, lespalier.com) fixes dainty finger sandwiches for the restaurant’s Saturday afternoon tea, but when he gets home to his three kids, sandwich-making turns serious. Weekends find him and the family concocting culinary masterpieces with fresh ingredients and plenty of time to assemble them. He tosses together this specialty for brunch, but warns that its success hinges on one thing: “The eggs, sardines, and bread all must be warm.”
1 large egg, hard-boiled and peeled, but still warm
3 fresh sardines, grilled and filleted
2 tomatoes, peeled
1 c. mixed greens
1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp. sea salt
Dash of freshly ground black pepper
1 French baguette, sliced lengthwise and toasted
1. In a medium bowl, smash egg gently with fork until yolk is broken up. 2. Add sardines, tomatoes, greens, olive oil, lemon, and salt. Toss together until greens are coated. 3. Fork mixture onto one half of baguette. Serve open-faced.
Greg and Lisa Sikora’s Grilled Chicken and Avocado on Marble Rye
Lisa and Greg Sikora, the owners of Appleton Bakery & Café (123 Appleton St., Boston, 617-859-8222, www.appletonbakery.com), may be humble about their sandwich-making prowess, but we still wanted to know what they, who pull together some of the South End’s most popular nibbles, eat at home. The answer: a very upscale grilled cheese.
2 slices marble rye
1 tbsp. butter
1 grilled chicken breast, thinly sliced
1 fresh avocado, sliced
2 slices American cheese
1 lettuce leaf
1 tomato, sliced
1 tbsp. olive oil
½ tbsp. red wine vinegar
1. Butter both slices of the marble rye and put them butter-side down in a frying pan. 2. To one piece of bread, add one slice of American cheese and the thinly sliced chicken breast. On the other piece, add the other slice of American cheese and tomato. 3. When the cheese is melted, add fresh avocado, olive oil, and red wine vinegar on top of the chicken. 4. To the other side, add the lettuce, then close the sandwich. Note: The lettuce and avocado should stay somewhat cold, so remove from heat once the cheese melts.
Chef Robert Lionette’s Sliced Mortadella on a Demi-Baguette
Robert Lionette is known for using a creative combination of ingredients at Garden of Eden (571 Tremont St., Boston, 617-247-8377, www.goeboston.com), where sandwiches, salads, and entrées take a gourmet slant. Artichoke soufflé, roasted garlic and goat cheese and daily pâté plates aside, when he’s assembling something for himself, he chooses to keep it simple. “I like mortadella, mortadella, mortadella,” he says. “Because of its fat content, it has some sweetness. Combine that with good olive oil that has a peppery bite and great bread. To me, that’s perfect.”
1 demi-baguette*
2 tbsp. Olio Taibi Sicilian extra-virgin olive oil
¼ lb. Salumeria Biellese mortadella (cured pork sausage), sliced
1. Split the baguette, drizzle the insides with olive oil. 2. Fill it with as much mortadella as you’d like. *Lionette recommends B&R Artisan Bread, 151 Cochituate Rd. (Rte. 30), Framingham, 508-370-7730; Salumeria Biellese mortadella available at Lionette’s at Garden of Eden.
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