An ode to the sandwich.
Let’s begin with The Black Sheep Deli in Amherst, MA. Their fresh baked bread is toothy, with a perfectly moist sponge lending gravitas to the ingredients piled in between - thick stacks of sliced meats, aged cheddar, sharp Swiss and creamy Brie, fresh, crisp vegetables, many locally grown in the rich farmland of the Pioneer Valley. The combinations are elevated but not unfamiliar. Theirs are the perfect sandwich for an afternoon spent sitting on a blanket with bare feet outstretched onto the cool grass, or packed next to bottles of water for a day hike, ready to be enjoyed above treeline with a cool breeze and a long view.
This is not The Black Sheep, it’s a sandwich board I put out for my parents’ 50th anniversary weekend. But you get the idea.
From there we travel to Big G’s Deli in Winslow, Maine which, I was introduced to upon arriving at Colby College my first year. The first thing you need to know if that a full-sized sandwich, on their enormous loaves of fresh-baked bread, will easily feed a family of four. So order a half, which will leave plenty for snacking after a late night of studying (or partying). Big G’s is less “New American” and more creative comfort. If you never plan to visit the menu alone is worth a read for the sandwich names. If you do make your way there may I recommend the Miles Standwich. Piled high with sliced, roasted turkey, Stovetop-style stuffing and cranberry sauce fresh from the can I would always pick one up returning to campus from Thanksgiving break.
And this is not Big G’s. It’s from OBEARX in the Outer Banks last year, but again, you get the idea.
If these entries sound a bit complicated allow me to offer one more sandwich. Growing up working at my family’s garden center, my father’s cousin, who I called Uncle Chet, would work several weekends in the spring. His wife, Aunt Susan, would pack us lunch which was always deli ham and American cheese, piled high atop crisp, Iceberg lettuce with yellow mustard. The bread, while more flavorful, had the pillowy tenderness of Wonderbread. After a morning spent walking the nursery with customers and loading plants and bags of mulch into trunk after trunk, Aunt Susan’s sandwiches were delicious and sustaining.
My closing entry is the chicken salad below. Delicate, poached chicken breast is both rich and light with the freshness of tarragon folded into the mayonnaise. It is perfection served solely with mixed greens - sweet baby spinach, peppery arugula and tender lettuces - atop dark, spongy bread like Pumpernickel. But feel free to gild the lily with crisp slices of cucumber or thick cuts of perfectly ripe summer tomato.
And with that I am leaving my computer and heading to the kitchen. It is time for a sandwich.
Tarragon Chicken Salad
Serves 4
Tarragon, the paragon herb of light and fresh, pairs perfectly with delicately poached chicken and sweet, crisp sugar snap peas for a not-too-heavy chicken salad deliciously served over tender greens on in a sandwich. This recipe is a perfect way to reinvent leftover poached chicken which means most of the work is done ahead of time.
Ingredients:
1 pint sugar snap peas, about 1/3 pound
2 poached, boneless, skinless chicken breasts (find the recipe here)
1/2 medium red onion, finely diced
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tbs chopped tarragon
Splash of lemon juice of white wine vinegar
Directions:
Blanch sugar snap peas: In a 3-4 quart pot bring water to the boil. Season with 1 tbs salt. Prepare an ice bath - half ice and half water - in a large bowl. Add snow peas to boiling water for 1 minute. Remove to ice bath. When cool drain and pat dry. Cut into 1/2” pieces.
Assemble salad: Cut chicken into 1/2” cubes. Combine in a large bowl with sugar snap peas and onion. Whisk together mayonnaise and tarragon and fold into salad. Season to taste with salt, pepper and splash of lemon juice or vinegar as needed. Serve right away or store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
TIP: blanching the sugar snap peas takes the raw edge off while still leaving them crisp. You could also substitute snow peas or celery.
