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Recipes

Corned Beef Sourdough Sandwiches

Published on March 4, 2024

Corned Beef sandwich with melted cheese

Like many Americans celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with Corned Beef and Cabbage, it’s also a tradition in our household. While we’ve discovered it’s not truly Irish, it remains a March staple. Although it’s not my top choice, my husband Sean adores it, inspiring me to craft the ultimate corned beef sandwich, paired with leftover wine from the festivities.

If you relish a Reuben or a Pastrami sandwich, you’ll adore this dish. Fond childhood memories of eating both at San Francisco’s Mama’s Restaurant in the basement of Macy’s flood back, especially their legendary coleslaw. If anyone knows their dressing recipe from the ’70s, please share! The humble corned beef sandwich celebrates resourcefulness, creativity, and the simple joys of home cooking, enhanced by hand-selected wine pairings. Utilizing leftover corned beef in a sandwich offers endless versatility. Whether thinly sliced or in hearty chunks, its tender, flavorful nature complements a variety of toppings and condiments. From classic mustard and Swiss cheese to tangy sauerkraut and creamy Thousand Island dressing, the options are limitless. In our recipe the sweet potato and caramelized onions combined with the horseradish mustard spread offer an explosion of flavor. Even more satisfying is knowing not a drop of wine goes to waste.

You can enjoy Sean Minor Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir with this sandwich, and if they happen to be leftover from the night before, it’ll give them new life.

Try this sandwich, you might find yourself skipping the corned beef and cabbage night altogether and diving straight into the leftovers.

corned beef sandwich ingredients sweet potatoes mustard onions
Cooking corned beef sandwich on grill pan
Nicole smiling holding a glass of sauvignon blanc and corned beef sandwich

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ T olive oil – divided
  • 2 T butter – divided
  • 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar
  • ½ sweet potato, thinly sliced
  • 1 yellow onion sliced
  • ½ head of cabbage cut into wedges
  • 12 slices corned beef (flat cut, cooked in Crockpot the day before)
  • 8 slices gruyere cheese
  • 8 slices homemade sourdough bread
  • 2 T spicy brown mustard
  • 1 tsp horseradish
  • 2 T avocado mayo (or mayonnaise)
  • salt and pepper

Directions

Corned Beef:

I used my crock pot for the corned beef. Follow the instructions on the package and add 1 sprig of rosemary, ¼ tsp red pepper flakes, 3 garlic cloves and cover with a beer. Cook on high for 1 hour and then on low overnight for 8 hours.

Immediately wrap the cooked corned beef in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator. This will keep the beef from crumbling and make for better slicing!

Sides & Fixings:

Peel sweet potato and slice thin with a mandolin and place in a bowl. Drizzle potato slices with ½ T olive oil, salt and pepper and mix with your hands. Place on parchment paper and bake at 425 in the oven for 8-10 minutes.

Heat 1/2 T olive oil and 1/2 T butter in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add sliced onions and a pinch of salt and cook until golden. Deglaze the pan with a ½ teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and turn to low. Set aside once the liquid evaporates.

Prepare spread by combining brown mustard, horseradish, mayonnaise and ½ tsp apple cider vinegar, whisking until smooth.

Sandwich time:

Heat a grill pan to medium and drizzle ½ T olive oil. When the pan is hot add 2 wedges of cabbage and sear. Season with salt and pepper and place on a side plate. Cover each slice of Sourdough with the spread and layer 2 slices gruyere cheese, corned beef, grilled onions, sweet potatoes and grilled cabbage. Heat grill pan (or panini maker) with ½ T butter, heat to medium and sear both sides of the sandwich. Cover with a glass lid and place one ice cube under the lid to create steam, melting the cheese. Remove when hot, and the cheese is melted. Serve warm with a crisp cold glass of Sean Minor Sauvignon Blanc.

Wine Pairings