Note from Tony Dean: I’ll bet I’ve eaten 10,000 ham sandwiches while on fishing or hunting outings, and most were soggy messes come lunchtime. I thought there had to be a better way, so I asked Chef Mark Mancuso of La Minestra Restaurant in Pierre, SD, to prepare a fishing/hunting lunch that would be something to look forward to. Here are a couple of great sandwich ideas, and some tricks that prevent your sandwiches from soaking up any moisture in sauces, condiments, etc.
Bavarian Ham Sandwich
INGREDIENTS
Brown Pumpernickle bread Romaine Lettuce Sliced tomatoes Double Smoked Bavarian Ham, thinly sliced Grey Poupon Mustard Havarti Cheese slices
Begin by placing romain lettuce on the bread. The lettuce helps seal out moisture from the tomatoes and mustard. The sliced tomatoes go on next, followed by thinly sliced Bavarian double smoked ham. Pile it high and fold it over. Add the mustard to taste and then the sliced Havarti cheese (another moisture barrier on the other side of the fixin’s. This is a wonderful sandwich.
Venison Tenderloin with Blue Cheese Dressing
INGREDIENTS
Venison tenderloin Port wine - 1 cup Cracked black pepper Crusty French bread Romaine lettuce 1 tomato 2 ounces crumbled blue cheese Blue cheese dressing
Marinate the venison tenderloin overnight in port wine. Then roll it in cracked black pepper and cook to medium rare over your grill.
Slice a crusty French loaf lengthwise, then add lettuce as a moisture barrier. Add tomato slices, then add sliced venison. Be generous. The venison should be sliced thin so that the crusty peppered outside blends with the wonderful flavor of the venison loin. Finally, add the crumbled blue cheese to your favorite commercially made blue cheese dressing, and spread it on the meat. This dressing goes great with medium rare venison, leftover steak sliced across the grain or a good roast beef. Any of these meats can be used in case you don’t have venison. Cap the sandwich with the other slice of crusty French bread and see if you can wait until noon.
ADDITIONAL SANDWICH TIPS
Prepare the sandwiches in the morning, before you leave for fishing or hunting. Do it the night before and you run the risk of moisture leaking through, lettuce wilting, etc.
Wrap your sandwiches in parchment paper or wax paper rather than plastic bags. The latter often trap moisture inside. Parchment paper or waxed paper keeps the sandwich fresh and dry.
