SPANGLISH SANDWICH with EASY OVEN FRIES
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
A BLT elevated to new levels of deliciousness by a renown chef, for a movie chef!
Does it get any better?
An Adam Sandler flick overflowing with lots of quirky characters, superbly portrayed, with some great lines.....a little drama, a little comedy and a big heart. Spanglish is one of those movies that easily won me over and even had a pause, re-wind and play-it-again scene or two.
Like the after-work sandwich scene. Adam's character, a lovable and brilliant chef, comes home after a demanding day at his restaurant to relax with a beer and a late night nosh of chefly proportions.
Enter the Spanglish Sandwich. Mayhaps, sandwich perfection and exactly what we all like to imagine our favorite chefs chowing down on for a bedtime snack. And, better still, something we can all make in our humble home kitchens.
It turns out renown chef Thomas Keller was the culinary advisor for Adam's character for this movie. Yes, THE Thomas Keller, whose famed restaurant The French Laundry in the Napa Valley is considered a landmark and touchstone for fresh California Cuisine. Wow! No wonder some claim this to be the best sandwich in the world.
Here's a great little video of both Thomas Keller and Adam Sandler on the set working through the sandwich.
I don't know if I would say it is the 'best' sandwich ever, but man it's good. I have a thing for BLT's anyway, so adding some creamy Monterey Jack cheese and a over-medium egg DEF-FIN-IT-LY worked for me. I'll have to make these again soon so I can ponder once again, if indeed, this is the best sandwich in the world.
I did up some easy peasy, Yukon Gold Oven Fries with our sandwiches. That worked, because I could dip a few of my fries in the comfortingly familar, rich goodness of the yolk that had escaped the confines of the sandwich. (I hope I didn't make too many of those annoying yum-yum-mmmmm noises when I was eating this.)
I'll have what she's having!
**And now I'm compelled to do something bloggers are NEVER supposed to do. I must apologize for my Spanglish Sandwich photos - I know they're a tich blurry and not as they should be. But, but, but......who, I ask you, who.... could, would, not make haste when THAT sandwich was gorgeously hot and ready and begging to be eaten?!! Who? And then I thought, well I'll just wait to blog it until I make it again and take the time to get some better photos. Nope! I feel I owe it to you all to get the word out there on this sandwich without further ado. Next time I make this I promise to take some photos that will make your mouth water. **
SPANGLISH SANDWICH
For each sandwich:
3-4 thick slices bacon
2 slices Monterey Jack cheese
2 slices rustic country bread or sour dough, toasted (I toasted my sourdough under the broiler)
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
3-4 slices tomato
2 leaves butter lettuce or greenleaf
1 teaspoon butter
1 egg
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Cook bacon until crisp, drain on paper towels, set aside. Place the slices of cheese on one piece of the toasted bread and place in a toaster oven or under the broiler to melt the cheese. Spread the other slice of toast with the mayonnaise and top with the lettuce, sliced tomato (with salt and pepper) and cooked bacon. In a non-stick skillet melt the butter over medium heat. Fry the egg, turning over briefly once the bottom is set and cooked. Keep the yolk runny. Slide the finished egg, into the middle of the sandwich, on top of the bacon. Salt and pepper that glorious mound of goodness and top with the other slice of toast, melted cheese side down. Place the sandwich on a plate and slice in half letting the yolk run down the sandwich. Oh yesss!
EASY OVEN FRIES
Simple, delicious and as good for you as fries can be!
Corn, peanut, sunflower or canola oil
Sea or Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1-2 tablespoons malt vinegar
Preheat oven to 400F degrees. Soak cut potato 'sticks' in a large bowl of ice cold water for 30 minutes to 3 hours or rinse the sliced potatoes with icy cold water to help remove some of the starch. Drain really well on a clean kitchen towel. Pat dry.
Place potatoes on a large, rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with enough oil to coat lightly. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Gently massage and toss the potato slices to distribute the oil and seasonings. Arrange in a single layer.
Depending on the thickness of your fries bake 30-40 minutes. When just about cooked, with fries still in the oven, turn on the broiler for the last 3-4 to give the fries a bit of a toasty tan. Watch carefully! Remove from oven, drizzle lightly with malt vinegar and serve hot.