You can serve half of this roast as part of your Saint Patrick’s Day dinner and refrigerate the rest for use in these indulgent sandwiches or you can make the meat for the sandwiches alone. Either way its best to start this recipe one day before you plan to serve these sandwiches; cold corned beef slices like a dream!
For the Corned Beef
- 1-4 pound corned beef brisket
- 2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 Tablespoons whole grain mustard
- 1/3 Cup Brown Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon onion flakes
- 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
- Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil
For the Ruben Dressing
- 1 Cup mayonnaise
- ¼ Cup ketchup
- ¼ Cup chopped Italian parsley
- 2 Tablespoons dill pickle relish
- 1 heaping teaspoon prepared horseradish
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- ½ teaspoon each coarse pepper and salt
For the Sandwich
- 2 slices of dark Bavarian rye bread per sandwich
- Unsalted butter at room temperature
- 3 slices Finlandia swiss cheese (cut 1/8” thick) per sandwich
- 2 Tablespoons of Sauerkraut per sandwich (homemade or store bought)
For the Corned Beef: Place the corned beef, fat side up, on 3 large sheets of aluminum foil. Mix together the mustards, brown sugar, onion flakes and pepper in a small bowl. Pour the mustard mixture over the corned beef and wrap the entire roast tightly in the aluminum foil. Place the foil packet in a large crock pot and cook on low setting for 6 hours. Remove the packet (serve half for dinner if desired) and allow to cool to room temperature before refrigerating overnight. When ready to assemble the sandwiches, remove the corned beef from the refrigerator and unwrap. Slice the meat across the grain into 1/8” thick slices and set aside until ready to use.
For the Ruben Dressing: Combine the mayonnaise, ketchup, parsley, pickle relish, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Can be made 1 day ahead. Note: This will make enough sauce for several sandwiches. You can halve the recipe if desired or use the leftover sauce as a dip for cooked shrimp.
To Assemble the Ultimate Ruben Sandwich: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter one side of each slice of bread and place butter side down on a cutting board. Spread each slice of bread with one Tablespoon of the Ruben dressing. Place one slice of swiss cheese on top of the dressing. Top the cheese on each side with one Tablespoon sauerkraut and one or two slices of corned beef (depending on size). Place one slice of cheese on top of the meat and kraut on one side of the bread. Place the halves together to make 1 giant sandwich; your sandwich bread will be buttered on the outside and there will be one slice of cheese in the middle of the sandwich.
Heat 1 Tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it is melted and hot. Carefully add the sandwich to the sizzling butter and allow the bread to brown for two minutes. Using a large spatula, carefully flip the sandwich and allow the bread to brown on the second side for two minutes. Transfer the sandwich to a rack set on a rimmed baking sheet. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake the sandwich for 25 minutes or until the cheese (especially that center slice) is gooey and melted. Transfer the sandwich to a cutting board and allow it to rest for 5 minutes before slicing on the diagonal into two portions. Serve the sandwich with additional dressing on the side for dipping.
Note: If you slice into your sandwich and the cheese in the middle isn’t quite melted yet, don’t fret-just slide it back in the oven for a few minutes more.
