Not Every Turkey Sandwich is the Same

I don’t like The Family Circus.  Most of the time, I’m content to mutter under my breath about its stupidity or to mock it in the comfort of my own home.  Most of the time, though, its vapidity doesn’t deal with culinary matters.

Today, for anyone who is clever enough to skip over its single pane of vacuousness, Billy is returning his lunchbox to the counter as he tells his mother that nobody at school traded lunches because EVERYBODY (sic) had turkey sandwiches.  I suppose in Bill (and Jeff) Keane-Land, every turkey sandwich is the same: made with only breast meat, on Wonder Bread, with mayonnaise and iceberg lettuce. But, then again, in their world, Eisenhower is still the president.

In the real world, though, there are myriad options for how that turkey sandwich can stand out from the crowd.

Bread choice plays a key role.  Leftover dinner rolls make a great base for a post-Thanksgiving sandwich.  Or, if those are all gone, I like to go for a nice, hearty multi-grain bread that can stand up to the many fillings that might go inside.  Next choice: to toast or not to toast.  I tend to toast.

Condiments?  Yes, please.  Mayo and mustard are okay, and will make a serviceable sandwich… but for a truly remarkable sandwich, I have taken to spreading the bread with cold gravy and cranberry jelly.

Who needs to limit a sammich to breast meat?  Go ahead and use some thigh meat in there.  It’s moister and more flavorful.

But where the opportunity for sandwich creativity really presents itself is in what else goes on it with the turkey.  A variety of lettuces makes a nice touch, of course; but why stop there?  I have been known to put mashed potatoes (irish or sweet); olives; stuffing; cheese; shredded Brussels sprouts; roasted broccoli and cauliflower; and more on my turkey sandwiches.

Of course, once I go through that sort of effort, you can be sure I wouldn’t trade it to some punk kid like Billy Keane.

What sorts of delicacies do you add between your bread to make your turkey sandwiches stand out from the crowd?

5 Responses to “Not Every Turkey Sandwich is the Same”

  1. johanna Says:

    I like to keep mine simple, and i think it’s perfect that way. Turkey, cranberry jelly, cheddar cheese, black olives, and lettuce.

  2. MIL Says:

    Sometimes I spread the bread with a creamy salad dressing.

  3. justin Says:

    I actually prefer my turkey sandwiches pretty plain. That said, I wouldn’t even dream of trading my sandwich with Billy, Dolly, Jeffy (it might be a choking hazard to PJ, so I’d consider it then).

    But turkey sandwiches are one of the few items on which I actually prefer mayo, and probably in what some would call excess- I normally find mayo kind of gross in anything more than a skim coat on one slice of bread in any other sandwich, and I sure as crap am not dipping my fries in it or putting it on my burger. (exceptions may apply with “embellished” mayos)

    Potato bread + dark meat (if there’s even any left after my initial course) + enough mayo to coat both bread slices and seep in between chunks of turkey + lettuce if I’m feeling adventurous = perhaps my favorite part about Thanksgiving.

    One other item on which plain mayo is essential: shrimp po-boy

  4. Eric Says:

    I have some opinions about sandwiches in general.

    1. A sandwich is only as good as it’s bread. Bad buns ruin hamburgers and sandwiches, but an amazing roll can be good without anything on it whatsoever.

    2. No shredded lettuce. Ever. How many times I’ve eaten a sandwich to have bits of lettuce fall out of it… the entire time. Having pieces of your sandwich come out … sometimes the more you try holding it together, the more wants to spew forth… especially if there is also mayonnaise in there.

    It would be so much easier to just slip a whole leaf of lettuce in there, no?

  5. Eric Says:

    Followup to the ‘good rolls’ post: the sandwich rolls at Fuel and Fuddle are incredible. Sturdy enough to hold up to any ingredient. Except for the fact that they’re braided, and the braids tend to separate. *le sigh* I’m sticking with Mancini’s bread whenever possible. Mmm, lard.

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