I guess you had similar situations in your life already… there are times when you eat one specific dish very often, sometimes almost every day. I did for sure! For different reasons. Cause something is easy to prepare, or it’s cheap or cause I loooved it so much ;)
Well… when I was studying, there were moments (well not just moments… more like several months!) where I made a lot of grilled cheese for breakfast, lunch, and dinner… maybe not for breakfast that often but I think you get the point ;) It was a lot of grilled cheese.
I love grilled cheese sandwiches in general. As a student, I also made them often, cause it was a quick dish and quite cheap. Back in the days, I lived in Switzerland where everything but the cheese was expensive… Just kidding. Even the cheese was expensive. But still, we always had a lot of it. Choices had to be made :P
Back then I used a “sandwich maker” to make the sandwiches – one of those devices, you can get cheap in many stores. Nowadays I prefer making my grilled cheese in a griddle pan. Much better! Not only ham and cheese but different ingredients like bacon, avocado, Chorizo or maybe pulled pork – combined with different cheeses. Mmmmm… ;)
Today’s grilled cheese sandwich is made with Leerdammer®* cheese. The recipe is an American classic – the Reuben Grilled Cheese. So good! You know that one already? If not, it’s about time!
The Reuben can be made with different ingredients. Some like it with corned beef, some prefer roast beef or pastrami, the cheeses vary and also the sauces… well and also if it’s made with sauerkraut or coleslaw ;) I prefer the sandwich with pastrami, Thousand-Island-Sauce, and sauerkraut.
The cheese is I used today, is a special one called Leerdammer® Toast and Burger Herzhaft-intensiv*. The slices are thick and full of flavor and the melt perfectly. All you want for a good grilled cheese. I’m drooling already again just cause I’m writing about it ;)
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
(for 4 sandwiches)
For the Thousand Island Sauce:
2 tbsp. mayonnaise
2 tbsp. sour cream
1 tbsp. ketchup
1 tsp. mustard
1 tsp. Sriracha sauce (or chili sauce)
1 tbsp. orange juice
1 small pickle, diced finely
1/2 red onion, diced finely
1/2 hard-boiled egg, diced finely
salt, pepper, cayenne pepper
For the sandwiches:
8 slices bread (e.g. rye bread)
7 oz. sauerkraut, drained
14 oz. pastrami or roast beef, thinly sliced
8 slices of cheese (e.g. Leerdammer Toast and Burger)
2 large pickles, in slices
butter for frying
(für 4 Sandwiches)
Für die Thousand-Island-Soße:
2 EL Mayonnaise
2 EL Schmand
1 EL Ketchup
1 TL Senf
1 TL Srirachasoße
1 EL Orangensaft
1 kleine Essiggurke, fein gewürfelt
1/2 rote Zwiebel, fein gehackt
1/2 gekochtes Ei, fein gewürfelt
Salz, Pfeffer, Cayennepfeffer
Für die Sandwiches:
8 Brotscheiben (z.B. Roggenbrot)
200g Sauerkraut, abgetropft
400g Pastrami oder Roastbeef, dünn geschnitten
8 Scheiben Käse (z.B. Leerdammer Toast and Burger)
2 große Essiggurken, in Scheiben geschnitten
Butter zum Anbraten
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. For the Thousand Island (T.I.) Sauce dice the small pickle, onion and hard boiled egg very finely. Mix with the mayonnaise, sour cream, ketchup, mustard, Sriracha sauce and orange juice until well combined. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper.
2. Spread some butter on two slices of the bread and place in a (not too hot) griddle pan with the buttered side facing down. Spread some of the T.I. sauce on the bread, add some sauerkraut on top, pastrami or roast beef and some slices of the pickles. Finish with two slices of cheese per sandwich and close with the second slice of bread that is currently in the pan as well. Fry on both sides until the bread is golden brown, crisp and the cheese has melted – takes about 3-4 minutes. Repeat with the remaining bread and toppings.
1. Für die Thousand Island (T.I.) Soße die kleine Essiggurke, die halbe Zwiebel und das Ei sehr fein würfeln, dann mit der Mayonnaise, Schmand, Ketchup, Senf, Sriracha Soße und Orangensaft verrühren, bis sich alles gut verbunden hat. Mit Salz, Pfeffer und Cayennepfeffer würzen.
2. Je zwei Scheiben Brot auf der Außenseite mit Butter bestreichen und dann mit den gebutterten Seiten nach unten in eine nicht zu heiße (Grill-) Pfanne legen. Die Brotscheiben mit etwas T.I. Soße bestreichen, auf eine der Scheiben dann Sauerkraut verteilen, mit Pastrami oder Roastbeef und einigen Essiggurkenscheiben belegen und mit zwei Scheiben Käse pro Sandwich abschließen. Das Sandwich mit der zweiten Brotscheibe zusammenklappen und dann so lange auf beiden Seiten anrösten, bis der Käse geschmolzen ist und das Brot goldbraun und knusprig ist – etwa 3-4 Minuten. Mit den übrigen Brotscheiben und Zutaten wiederholen.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
Reuben Grilled Cheese
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 8
- Total Time: 30
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
Delicious classic grilled cheese sandwich with pastrami, pickles and sauerkraut.
Ingredients
For the Thousand Island Sauce
- 2 tbsp. mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp. sour cream
- 1 tbsp. ketchup
- 1 tsp. mustard
- 1 tsp. Sriracha sauce (or chili sauce)
- 1 tbsp. orange juice
- 1 small pickle, diced finely
- 1/2 red onion, diced finely
- 1/2 hard-boiled egg, diced finely
- salt, pepper, cayenne pepper
For the sandwiches
- 8 slices bread (e.g. rye bread)
- 7 oz. sauerkraut, drained
- 14 oz. pastrami or roast beef, thinly sliced
- 8 slices of cheese (e.g. Leerdammer Toast and Burger)
- 2 large pickles, in slices
- butter for frying
Instructions
- For the Thousand Island (T.I.) Sauce dice the small pickle, onion and hard boiled egg very finely. Mix with the mayonnaise, sour cream, ketchup, mustard, Sriracha sauce and orange juice until well combined. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper.
- Spread some butter on two slices of the bread and place in a (not too hot) griddle pan with the buttered side facing down. Spread some of the T.I. sauce on the bread, add some sauerkraut on top, pastrami or roast beef and some slices of the pickles. Finish with two slices of cheese per sandwich and close with the second slice of bread that is currently in the pan as well. Fry on both sides until the bread is golden brown, crisp and the cheese has melted – takes about 3-4 minutes. Repeat with the remaining bread and toppings.
Notes
- Enjoy grillin’
*I have partnered with Leerdammer® to bring you this delicious Reuben Grilled Cheese. That is why I have to declare this here in Germany as Advertising. All I wrote in this article is still based on my own opinion and has not been affected by anybody :)
