Fancy Easy Picnic Roast Beef Sandwiches With Spinach and Tahini

I adapted this Bon Appetit recipe when I wanted something I could make in advance that would have glamorous taste in a casual setting. I roasted my own red peppers and baked my own focaccia, but store-bought would be faster and easier. Wrapping and chilling the sandwiches makes for surprisingly tidy presentation, and the flavors were the very thing I had hoped they would be.

• Ready In: 10 mins
• Serves: 8
• Yields: 8 sandwiches

Ingredients

• 12  ounces  roasted red peppers, drained, chopped
• 1⁄3 cup scallion, chopped
• 1⁄3 cup cilantro, chopped
• 2  tablespoons olive oil
• 1  teaspoon cumin powder
• 1  teaspoon  hot sauce
• 2  garlic cloves, pressed
• 1⁄4 cup tahini
• 1⁄4 cup water
• 3  tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1  lb  loaf focaccia bread or 1  lb  ciabatta, cut horizontally in half
• 4  ounces feta cheese
• 1  lb deli roast beef, rare and sliced thin
• 2  cups  baby spinach leaves

Directions

1. Mix first 6 ingredients and half of garlic. Season to taste with salt.
2. Whisk together remaining garlic, tahini, water, and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt.
3. Place bread, cut sides up, on work surface. Spread red pepper mixture over both pieces of bread and then sprinkle cheese over the bottom half of the loaf. Layer half of the roast beef over the cheese and drizzle with 1/3 of the tahini dressing. Layer remaining roast beef over dressing and drizzle with half of remaining dressing. Top dressing with spinach and remaining dressing. Press top half of loaf onto spinach.
4. Cut the sandwich lengthwise in half, then crosswise in quarters for a total of 8 sandwiches. Wrap each tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 hours but no more than 1 day. (It needs to chill to set up, but after a day the bread gets soggy.).