The Young Reuben Sandwich

I have always liked corned beef & sandwiches made with it... Reuben's would be the deluxe of such sandwiches IMO. After finding Mike Mills' Crunchy Cole Slaw recipe in his book & adapting it (posted on this site), I thought that I would experiment with a Reuben using the crunchy slaw instead of sauerkraut! I was actually a bit stunned by how good the results turned out... I deemed it "the YOUNG Reuben" since the slaw is not aged like sauerkraut! Cole slaw & Reuben lovers might enjoy this variation of the sandwich! Recipe is for one sandwich... easily multiplied for more servings.

• Ready In: 28 mins
• Serves: 1

Ingredients

• 4  ounces  lean thinly sliced deli corned beef
• 2  ounces swiss cheese (1-ounce slices)
• 2  slices  rye bread, of choice (i prefer jewish rye with caraway seeds)
• 1⁄3 cup  Coleslaw, well drained (use Mike Mills' Crunchy Cole Slaw? recipe)
• 1 1⁄2-2  tablespoons  thousand island dressing (to taste)
• 2  tablespoons butter, softened
• 1  dill pickle spear (garnish alongside the sandwich on plate)

Directions

1. Set corned beef, swiss cheese, cole slaw, & butter out to come to room temp, OR (to SHORTEN prep time to 20 minutes) gently warm each ingredient in microwave on low power to take off the chill so that the sandwich will be hot inside once grilled.
2. Assemble the sandwich:
3. Place a slice of swiss on one piece of rye bread.
4. Next place 4 oz of corned beef atop the swiss cheese.
5. Top the corned beef with thousand island dressing & 1/3 c Mike Mills' Crunchy Cole Slaw.
6. Top the slaw with another slice of swiss cheese.
7. Place the remaining slice of rye atop the sandwich.
8. Butter the top of the sandwich and place DOWN in a skillet heated to Medium heat on the stove burner --.
9. butter the (now) top of the sandwich while the bottom browns for a few minutes. (Lift gently with a spatula to check browning and turn when ready -- do not scorch!).
10. Turn sandwich and brown the other side.
11. Serve HOT with dill spear, and chips or french fries if desired.
12. Note: the sandwich can actually be built in layers right in the skillet as the one side (bottom) browns IF you have all the other ingredients "warm" and staged for assembly. Tricky the first time but actually easier once you get the hang of it.