You don‘t have to visit a New York diner to enjoy a great sandwich. Here are recipes for a handful of sandwiches you can put together at home.
Halloumi, Arugula and Tomato Sandwiches
Recipe from Jake Marsiglia
Adapted by Alexa Weibel and Christina Morales
In 2022, Jake Marsiglia and Costa Damaskos opened Baby Blues Luncheonette in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to honor the historic diners and luncheonettes that closed during the pandemic, while paying homage to Damaskos’ Greek roots. One of the best ways they’ve incorporated this history and culture into their menu is through their HLT sandwich, a play on the classic American BLT that replaces bacon with halloumi cheese, seared until golden and crisp. They replace BLT’s standard lettuce with an arugula salad seasoned with a bright Greek vinaigrette, and round out the sandwich with red onions, juicy heirloom tomatoes and a garlic-pepper mayonnaise. — Alexa Weibel, Christina Morales
Yield: 4 sandwiches
Total time: 1 hour
Ingredients
For the Sandwiches:
- 2 (8-ounce) blocks of halloumi
- 3 medium heirloom tomatoes
- Salt and pepper
- 8 slices sourdough bread
- 5 ounces baby arugula
- 1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
- Pickles, for serving
For the Garlic-Pepper Mayo:
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise (preferably Kewpie brand), plus more for toasting the bread
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon), plus more squeezed onto the halloumi
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- For the Greek Salad Dressing:
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for cooking the halloumi
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
Preparation
1. Slice each block of halloumi into 1/2-inch-thick slabs. (You’ll want 3 or 4 pieces per sandwich, depending on the size of your bread and your halloumi.) Save the off cuts for grating into the salad later.
2. Cut the tomatoes into thin slices. (You’ll want 3 or 4 pieces per sandwich.) Season generously with salt and pepper.
3. Prepare the garlic-pepper mayo: In a small bowl, stir together the 1/4 cup mayonnaise and the lemon juice and garlic powder. Season to taste with salt and pepper; set aside.
4. Prepare the Greek salad dressing: In a large bowl, whisk together the 1/4 cup oil and the vinegar, lemon juice and oregano. Season to taste with salt and pepper; set aside.
5. Toast the bread: Spread a thin layer of plain mayonnaise on one side of each piece of bread. Working in batches, in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high, toast the bread, mayonnaise side down, until golden-brown underneath, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer toasted bread to a large cutting board or baking sheet, toasted side down. Spread the garlic-pepper mayo on the untoasted side of the bread.
6. Cook the halloumi: Drizzle 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the skillet and heat over medium-high. Working in two batches, sear the sliced halloumi until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate, then squeeze some lemon juice on top.
7. Assemble the sandwiches: Add the arugula to the Greek dressing in the large bowl and toss to coat. Shingle the tomatoes onto the 4 pieces of bread topped with the garlic-pepper mayo, and then do the same with the halloumi. Top each with red onions and a handful of the dressed arugula; form sandwiches with remaining slices of bread, toasted sides up. Cut each sandwich diagonally and divide among plates.
8. For a side salad, divide the remaining dressed arugula among the plates and grate any remaining halloumi pieces on top. Serve with pickles.
Spicy Cumin Lamb Burgers
Recipe from Jason Wang and David Shi
Adapted by Christina Morales and Alexa Weibel
Many people go to Xi’an Famous Foods in New York City for their spicy hand-pulled noodles, but the sleeper hit is the cumin lamb burger. This recipe, adapted from “Xi’an Famous Foods: The Cuisine of Western China, From New York’s Favorite Noodle Shop” by Jason Wang and David Shi (Abrams Books, 2020), starts with homemade buns that rise and crisp on a griddle, resulting in a soft interior similar to a pita. (You can make the bread from scratch, or substitute a burger bun or even an English muffin.) The restaurant’s signature spicy cumin lamb with red onions and green longhorn peppers is stuffed inside the bread, resembling a steak sandwich as opposed to a burger. You’ll want to slice the lamb as thinly as possible (a short stint in the freezer helps firm it up), which increases the surface area to great effect: The meat cooks through quickly, browns effectively and easily absorbs a tongue-tingling dose of cumin and chile. — Christina Morales, Alexa Weibel
Yield: 4 sandwiches
Total time: 40 minutes (or about 2 hours if making the bread)
Ingredients
For the Homemade Buns (Optional):
- 2 cups/250 grams all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon granulated sugar
For the Sandwiches:
- 1 pound boneless lamb leg (ideally partially frozen)
- 2 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 4 teaspoons plus 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
- 1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped (about 3 tablespoons)
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
- 2 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 1 3/4 teaspoons salt
- Chile powder, to taste
- 1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 1 longhorn pepper (or 1 jalapeño), thinly sliced diagonally
- 4 homemade buns (or small burger buns or even English muffins, split and toasted)
Preparation
1. If preparing the buns, to a large bowl add the flour, yeast, baking powder and sugar; whisk to combine. Drizzle in 1/2 cup/120 milliliters room-temperature water while mixing the flour with one hand until the texture is fluffy and sandy. Transfer to a flat surface and knead the mixture with both hands, pushing it away from you with the heel of each hand until it comes together into a smooth ball of dough, 3 to 5 minutes. (It will transform from raggedy to tacky to supple.) Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.
2. While the dough rests, prepare the lamb: Carefully slice the lamb as thinly as possible, ideally about 1/8-inch thick. Add the lamb to a medium bowl, and sprinkle with cornstarch and 4 teaspoons of the oil. Mix with your hands until the cornstarch has been evenly dispersed and dissolved; set aside.
3. After the dough has rested for 20 minutes, remove the plastic wrap and knead the dough a few more times. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for another 10 minutes.
4. While the dough rests a second time, cook your filling: In a large skillet or wok, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons oil over high until shimmering. Add the scallions, ginger and garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the lamb and stir-fry for about 5 minutes, until thoroughly browned in spots and cooked through. Turn the heat down to low and sprinkle with cumin, salt and chile powder; stir to combine. Stir in the onion and longhorn pepper; cover and set aside.
5. To shape the dough, take one piece and roll it between your palms into a ball. Place it on an unfloured work surface and press into a smooth, round mound. Use a small rolling pin to flatten to about 4-inches wide. Repeat with the remaining dough.
6. Set a small skillet over medium and warm it up for 5 minutes. Turn the heat down to low, and add one dough round. Cover the skillet and cook for 1 minute on each side, until some brown spots appear. Flip and cook again for 1 to 2 minutes on each side until fully cooked (no parts should look gray or raw). It should be crisp on the outside and steaming on the inside. Repeat with remaining 3 dough rounds, letting the skillet heat up for a couple minutes between batches.
7. Slice toasted bread in half and fill with warm lamb mixture. Enjoy immediately.
Scuttlebutt
Recipe from Caroline Fidanza and Rebecca Collerton
Adapted by Sara Bonisteel
Tangy and salty and colorful, the scuttlebutt sandwich vibrates with flavor: hard-boiled egg, pickled beets and carrots, olives, capers, herbs and feta mingle on pillowy focaccia. “The word ‘scuttlebutt’ is sort of like what’s the gossip, what’s the story, what’s the deal or the chitchat, you know, the chatter,” said its co-creator Caroline Fidanza, who devised the sandwich at her Brooklyn restaurant Saltie in 2009 with the chef Rebecca Collerton. Inspired by Collerton’s practice of cobbling together sandwiches with whatever was in the fridge, they intended the sandwich to change with the seasons, but once patrons got a taste of the pickled beets, the lineup was set in stone. Saltie closed in 2017, but Fidanza brought the sandwich back at Marlow & Sons in 2020, when it became a best-seller once again. Collerton, who died of cancer in 2018, was not able to see its comeback. There are many components, and many shortcuts: Use store-bought pickled vegetables and focaccia; doctor up mayonnaise rather than making aioli. But the details make a difference: Fidanza says that “picking the herbs is a pain, but that’s just what you have to do.” — Sara Bonisteel
Yield: 4 sandwiches
Total time: 2 hours (plus 1 day, if making pickled beets)
Ingredients
For the Pickled Beets (optional):
- 1 bunch beets (about 5 beets), scrubbed and trimmed
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- 1 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
- 1/2 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1/2 tablespoon mustard seeds
- 1 whole star anise, broken up
- 4 whole allspice berries
For the Sandwiches:
- 1/2 cup julienned carrots
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise (or pimenton aioli; see Tip)
- 1/2 teaspoon pimentón (or smoked or sweet paprika)
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- 4 (4-by-4-inch) pieces focaccia (store-bought or homemade)
- 4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced
- 1/4 cup pitted oil-cured olives, chopped
- 2 tablespoons capers
- 1 cup assorted plucked fresh herb leaves and tender stems (any combination of parsley, mint, dill and cilantro)
- 2 medium pickled beets, sliced 1/4-inch-thick
- Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed
- 4 ounces feta (preferably in block form, for slicing)
Preparation
1. Prepare the beets, if making your own, a day before you want to make your sandwiches. (If using store-bought pickled beets, skip to Step 5.) Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Put the beets in a small roasting pan. Drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt. Add just enough water to the pan to evenly cover the bottom by about 1 inch. Cover with aluminum foil and roast until tender when pierced with a knife, about 1 hour. Let the beets cool until you can handle them, then peel them, slipping the skins off with your fingers or a kitchen towel and using a paring knife where they stick. Cut into 1/4-inch slices and place in a large, heatproof bowl.
3. In a saucepan, combine 1 cup water with the remaining pickled beet ingredients and 1/2 tablespoon salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt. When the sugar and salt have dissolved, pour the pickle brine over the sliced beets.
4. Let the beet pickles cool at room temperature and then put the beets and their brine into a plastic or glass container, cover and refrigerate. The pickled beets will be ready to eat the next day and will keep for up to 2 months.
5. To make the sandwiches, toss the carrots and apple cider vinegar together in a small bowl; set aside 15 minutes.
6. In another small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, pimentón and garlic.
7. Split the focaccia squares in half horizontally and arrange on a large cutting board or baking sheet, cut sides up. Spread both cut sides with the pimentón mayonnaise. Arrange the egg slices evenly on the bottom half of the bread.
8. Drain the carrots and add them to a large bowl, along with the olives, capers, herbs and sliced beets. Add just enough olive oil to coat lightly and toss until combined. Mound the salad on top of the egg. Slice the feta and arrange on top of the salad (or crumble it on top).
9. Quickly replace the top of the bread before the sandwich falls apart, pressing gently to help it hold together, and serve right away.
Tips
If you’d like to make pimentón aioli from scratch — rather than using store-bought mayonnaise, mash a garlic clove with a bit of salt until it makes a paste. Add 1 egg yolk, 1/2 teaspoon pimentón and 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar. Whisk the mixture and, while whisking, slowly drizzle in 4 ounces of olive oil until you make a thick aioli.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
