Meet the new love of your life: The Shooter's sandwich.
No other sandwich can compete.
It's a sandwich in an entire loaf of bread.
It's so delicious it's obscene.
It’s sandwich that comes with a historical pedigree.
Dating back to the Edwardian period, the Shooter's Sandwich was created as a portable meal to take on hunting trips. You could make it with chicken, with cheese and vegetables or even leftovers. Traditionally, you'd use loads of tasty steak.
Think of it as the sandwich version of a beef wellington.
Two juicy steaks squished into a crusty loaf with a rich mushroom and shallot mixture. All smothered in spicy horseradish and mustard and pressed into portable, sliceable tastiness.
Sharing is recommended.
And here’s how you make it:
You will need:
Two rib-eye steaks.
A round crusty loaf (choose one that's roughly the same shape as the steaks).
400g mushrooms.
200g shallots.
The tasty extras: 75g butter, dijon mustard, horseradish sauce and a splash of brandy or red wine. And as much garlic, salt and pepper as you like. And some parsley, for erm... health reasons.
Start with the bread.
Slice off the top and hollow out your loaf. You won't need the breadcrumbs, you probably won't eat anything else for another three days.
Then the mushrooms.
Finely dice your mushrooms and shallots, then fry in butter on a low heat. Cook until softened and there's no moisture left (too much moisture will make your sandwich soggy). Add some crushed garlic and a splash of brandy or wine, along with a hefty dose of salt and pepper. Finish with the chopped parsley and it's practically a salad.
Now the steaks.
You want them seasoned, you want them medium, you want them perfect. DO NOT EAT THE TASTY STEAKS.
Squish your first steak into your bread bowl.
Go with the largest first. Get it right in there.
Layer with the mushroom mix.
Make sure you push it right into the edges of the bowl.
In goes steak number two.
Slather the steak with horseradish sauce. Smear dijon mustard on the downside of your bread lid.
Pop the lid back on.
And you thought it wouldn't all fit in there.
Wrap it up.
Wrap your sandwich in greaseproof paper and foil. Tie it up with string so it looks like the BEST PRESENT EVER.
Time to get heavy.
Weigh your sandwich down with everything that you can find. That complete works of Shakespeare you pretend you've read is a good start. And a huge dictionary, and a West Wing box set.
Protect your sandwich from thieves and bad guys.
Keep somewhere cool for a couple of hours and then continue to squash in the fridge for at least another four. Go for a long walk, go to the pub, just get the hell out of the house and think about something other than your amazing sandwich.
Unwrap your creation.
Your sandwich will be tastiest at room temperature and when it's properly pressed it'll look like this.
BEHOLD! THE MIGHTY SHOOTER'S SANDWICH!
Seriously, best sandwich in the world.