Weekly Sandwich: Steakhouse Cheater

November 15, 2011, By Craig J. Heimbuch 2 comments

Craig J. Heimbuch

I don't know where the idea came from. Maybe a friend. Maybe a magazine. Maybe it is just an amalgam of many delicious steak dinners I've enjoyed over the years, but the flavor combinations in this sandwich make it a favorite of mine.

You start with some good pumpernickle bread. Fresh pumpernickle. The Iowa soil-black stuff with the stubborn crust and the inside as soft as the heart of a teenager in love. Then you add on some really good roast beef. Not that processed stuff that looks like sun-tanned bologna, but the real stuff that still has a grain.

Leftover steak is good, but I like the shoulder roast from the deli counter in my neighborhood supermarket. It's the kind of roast beef you'd gladly serve with mashed potatoes, the kind you get in the buffet line at a wedding reception. I ask them to cut it thin, as thin as they can get without the meat disintergrating into nothing. And the cheese—go with something soft and white, something a little unexpected. Havarti is my favorite, but I suppose Swiss will work. 

The real star of this sandwich is the spread. Take 50% sour cream and 50% horseradish and add a dash of chives. You'll never look at mayo again. The tanginess of the horseradish and the smooth creaminess of the sour cream, it's like God's gift to carnivores. And simple. I mix mine in a plastic cup. No measuring, no folding or whipping. Just a spoonful or two of each and a little elbow grease. I made it for the folks here at the office and they ended up dipping their chips into it. It was that good.

What You'll Need

• 1 loaf fresh pumpernickle bread
• 8 oz. fresh, thinly sliced roast beef or steak
• 4 oz. Havarti cheese, sliced
• 1 pint sour cream (low-fat is fine)
• 1 small jar horseradish
• chives
• 1 head Romain lettuce

What You Do

1. Slice bread to 1/2" thickness, layer with roast beef, cheese and lettuce. Leave open.

2. In a small bowl or plastic cup, mix sour cream and horseradish at about a 1:1 ratio—to taste. Add chives for color and flavor.

3. Spread on bread, close and insert into mouth.

4. Walk a little taller, knowing that you are now The Man.

Comments (2):

Craig H. Richard- I used a store-brand sauce, but I've made it with pure horseradish and just used less of it. I like a little tang, but I'm not crazy about a four-alarm mouth fire. I wouldn't spend a ton of money either way, since it's going to be cut by the sour cream. If you are going to spend a little extra, spend it on the cheese and good roast beef. - 11/16/2011

Richard T. I see horseradish sauces and the kind that's closer to pure pure horseradish. What exact type or brand of horseradish do you recommend? - 11/15/2011