Dinner Tonight: Club Sandwich
[Photograph: Nick Kindelsperger]
The club sandwich is a tall wonder containing turkey (sometimes chicken), lettuce, tomato, bacon, and no less than three slices of bread, all cut into quarters and secured with frilly toothpicks. I was so ready to have a gleeful romp with the American classic that I even bought the special toothpicks and a bag of chips to dump in the middle. You can't imagine my high spirit as I sat down to this light dinner.
Nowadays the sandwich is bastardized because it is usually made as a three-decker, which is not authentic (whoever started that horror should be forced to eat three-deckers three times a day the rest of his life)...
— James Beard on the club sandwich, taken from James Beard's American Cookery.
So I really hate to be a downer here, but there is an enormous flaw with the club sandwich, so monumental it ruins the whole experience. The third slice of bread. James Beard was right. The middle slice throws the whole thing off, turning it into an overly starchy, mess. Of course, this can all be solved by removing the extraneous slice but then it just doesn't feel the same, now does it? Does anyone share my anti-third-slice sentiments?
Club Sandwich
- serves 2 -
Adapted from the Joy of Cooking (1997 Edition).
Ingredients
6 slices white bread, toasted
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
4 leaves lettuce (bibb, Boston, or iceberg)
4 ounces thinly sliced turkey or chicken lunchmeat
1/2 tomato, sliced thinly
4 slices bacon
Salt and pepper
Procedure
1. Spread the mayonnaise on one side of each slice of toasted bread. On two of the slices of bread, add a piece of lettuce to each and divide the meat between the two. Top each with another slice of bread, mayonnaise side up.
2. Top each of the two sandwiches with another piece of lettuce, a few slices of tomato, and the bacon. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cap off each sandwich with a final slice of bread, mayonnaise side down.
3. Slice the sandwich diagonally into quarters. Secure each quarter with a toothpick.
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25 Comments:
I so agree - I always take out the third slice
nmallory at 4:39PM on 09/28/09
How about using a thinner slice (of the same kind of bread used in the sandwich) for the center? Unsliced loaves allow for thickness control. For pre-sliced (i.e., supermarket) loaves, look for the "diet" or "thin-sliced" options. I seem to recall Pepperidge Farm has or had a thin-sliced white sandwich loaf.
mrsdebdav at 4:53PM on 09/28/09
I always take out the third slice as well. But my friends always complain that taking it out makes it not a club sandwich
rumanddiet at 5:06PM on 09/28/09
i feel like a club sandwich isn't complete without a slice of swiss cheese in the mix.
mr guy at 5:08PM on 09/28/09
I agree. I think it's too much bread. Then again, I take the tops of my hamburgers and regular sandwiches sometimes, so I may not be the best person to offer up an opinion. With toasted, I do two pieces, or with a patty melt. But otherwise, not so much.
alosha7777 at 5:09PM on 09/28/09
It is what it is. So long as they don't surprise you with the third slice then I don't see the problem, usually they have a photo of the sandwich on the menu (these are usually offered by places that have photos on the menu).
I guess you can always order it without the third slice ... but if you ordered it with the third slice and then take the middle slice out, it begs the question why the heck did you order it? Did they not offer anything else but the club? Do you just like to play with your food? Are you a food masochist?
redfish at 5:16PM on 09/28/09
Without the iconic third bread slice, isn't the sandwich reduced to just a turkey BLT? I vote that the third slice is a required element of a modern club sandwich--the sandwich as it has now been known for decades-- even if Beard is correct that the original version did not have a third slice.
Lorenzo at 5:17PM on 09/28/09
Is it the third slice or the height of the piled turkey? Either way, something often makes a club sandwich just too tall for me to eat; and the toasted bread results in scraping up the skin just behind my two front teeth.
It's so delicious, I just wish it were a bit shorter (never thought I'd have to say that).
anysuchname at 5:18PM on 09/28/09
I worked in my families diner for fifteen years. I have made thousands of club sandwiches. Almost always with 3 slices. When 2 slices were used, we called them Junior Clubs. I prefer three slices personally. But, bread aside, the important thing is to use fresh chicken breast. We never used turkey, just simmered breast of stewing hen, sliced off the bone to order. Mayo on the side in a little paper souffle cup. I sure miss those days.
Neoveggieman at 5:22PM on 09/28/09
I always take the center slice out when I order a club sandwich. It is too much bread.
I don't propose to question how anyone orders their food or how they intend to eat it thats just never going to make sense to someone else.
JerzeeTomato at 5:27PM on 09/28/09
Okay but how about if next time you order it, you say "I'd like the Club Sandwich, without the center slice of bread"?
That would save you the trouble of taking out the center slice at the table. Who knows, maybe you are on a job interview and you have to shake someone's hand and you just got done taking out the center slice of bread and you have some sandwich fixings on your hand ... wouldn't that be awkward?
Ordering it the way you like it would save you the trouble of reconstructing the sandwich at the table ... now if the waitperson responds with "Screw that, you'll take the third slice of bread and you'll like it!" then I can see how you would have to resort to a do-it-yourself system, but normally that is the job of the kitchen ... and I would definitely only tip that waitperson 10%.
redfish at 5:37PM on 09/28/09
I agree with Lorenzo...a Turkey or Chicken Club without the third slice of bread is just a BLT with meat (albeit delicious). I always ask for extra mayo on the side....they never put enough on.
bessfour at 5:37PM on 09/28/09
I don't like the center slice because it's just too much toast - added to the crispy bacon, it hurts the roof of my mouth and my gums to have that much crunch to work through. I worked in the business office of a restaurant for years and whenever I ordered a Club for lunch, I asked the kitchen to put it on a grilled or toasted hamburger bun. Same taste, but it didn't make my mouth hurt for the rest of the day.
CooksForOne at 5:40PM on 09/28/09
I always eat club sandwiches in a deconstructed fashion--I take the top or the bottom as an open-faced sandwich, then proceed downwards or upwards. I rarely order them because they are too much food (and seldom find veggie versions anyway--I guess I'm really referring to 'triple decker' sandwiches in general). But part of the pleasure and the beauty of them is the multi-tiered structure.
I'm surprised so many people just bite into them--usually I eat one section as a whole sandwich, and save the rest for later.
HeartofGlass at 7:52PM on 09/28/09
But that third slice usually gets flattened, and if it's toasty enough, it adds a thin, crispy layer. The club sandwich can do no wrong, in my book.
Expatslat at 9:03PM on 09/28/09
I love club sandwiches....they MUST contain mayo and bacon, or dammit it just isn't a club!
jlew911 at 10:06PM on 09/28/09
Raised on Big Macs. Ergo, I can manage and in fact, appreciate, the middle layer.
conky at 11:30PM on 09/28/09
if there is not a third slice, then it's not a club sandwich to me. since it is supposed to be made with super-thin white bread anyway (imho), i don't find that it makes things too bready. but hey, if you don't like it, take it out. just don't leave it off of mine!
carriebwc at 10:01AM on 09/29/09
Yeah the components of a good club are thin slices of white (perhaps wheat) bread lightly toasted so they don't scrape your mouth up. If you have enough mayo (put on the bread when it is still warm) then it softens it a bit and you don't hurt yourself biting it. You need the third slice to make it a club, that's what it is. I've made a ton of clubs and when the proportions are right it's damn good.
kmgagne at 10:46AM on 09/29/09
@conky: I think your Big Mac reference is interesting, but I think you've accidently proven my point! On a big mac, or any other triple bread burger, the middle slice soaks in the juices from the hot patties, turning into something very much different then the top and bottom. It becomes nearly creamy. On a club, the middle slice remains crispy and crunchy because the sandwich isn't warm. It's just another piece of toast.
At least that's my opinion.
Nick Kindelsperger at 11:23AM on 09/29/09
I was under the impression that the third slice of bread was essential to the definition. Without it, the sandwich is not a club.
Also, with club sauce.
emgroff at 1:04PM on 09/29/09
You know, they should build club sandwiches like they do on Scooby Doo-- lots and lots of layers, with chicken legs and whole rolls of salami stuffed in-- then I bet you wouldn't mind the extra bread so much!
shalomblack at 2:33PM on 09/29/09
I would have to go with the third slice since that's usually where I layer in some peanut butter!
GretchinF at 3:46PM on 09/29/09
The club sandwich is my favorite sandwich ever. I like the extra bread layer, but then again, I like bread. A lot. A real lot. :)
deedoucette at 12:13PM on 09/30/09
I ordered a club sandwich, but I'm not even a member. "I like my sandwiches with three pieces of bread." "Well, so do I!" "Then let's form a club." "OK, but we need some more stipulations. Instead of cutting the sandwich once, let's cut it again. Yes, four triangles, arranged in a circle, and in the middle we will dump chips." "How do you feel about frilly toothpicks?" "I'm for 'em!" "Well, this club is formed."
-Mitch Hedberg
Alyrmc at 7:25PM on 09/30/09