The Best Drunken Sandwich Ever

Call it the Avocado Sandwich with a Bangarang (it’s so good it deserves a soundtrack).

Photos by Leah Lizarondo
 

 

This post was prompted by a meeting with Jason Bittel, as he was interviewing me about Awesome Pittsburgh for the Fitting Group's Brand Spanking Newsletter.

It was smooth sailing until Jason asked me what my favorite sandwich was. Non sequitur, much? And then I learned of his sandwich obsession, which made me realize a glaring weak spot in my own food repertoire. I was stumped. I’m just not a sandwich girl.

Until now.

In another bout of “I haven’t gone grocery shopping, so let’s throw something together,” I finally found my go-to sandwich. And it is not for the faint of heart. For the pregnant? Maybe. For the drunk? Definitely!

 

But seriously, I could eat this for breakfast any day.

This is actually an avocado sandwich with a bangarang. Let’s see, it has sauerkraut, cheese, mayo, avocadoes and gochujang. Gochu-what? Gochujang — that hot pepper paste that you see in Korean restaurants — spicy sweet and great option for breaking your Sriracha fatigue. I used to hoard tubes of it every time I boarded an Asiana Airlines flight. It is available in Asian grocery stores and this blog has a good primer on it. However, if you really can’t get your hands on it, Sriracha will work.

The result? A sandwich that is salty, sour, spicy, sweet, creamy and can be quite junky depending on what’s in your cupboard (potato chips, nori, yes!). TRUST. ME. ON. THIS. Give it a try. Toasty and crunchy on the outside, all good things on the inside. The food truck iteration of this sandwich is inevitable.

It’s the sandwich you make after the weekend bar hop, where you do nothing but pile things on top of each other and toss it all on the stovetop grilled cheese style. Then dive in with abandon, licking the drippy spicy-sweet sauce that threatens to escape from the edges before you finally, blissfully, go off into dreamland.

 

 

  The Drunken Sandwich*

Yield: Serves 1

*I realize that dishes prefaced with "drunken" refer to the dish as drunk. In this case, I am referring to you, dear eater.
 

Essential Ingredients

• 2 slices of bread or 1 lavash, tortilla etc.
• (Quantities below depend on the size of your slice or your lavash)
• About 1 tsp Mayo (I use Earth Balance Olive Oil Mindful Mayo)
• About 1-2 tsp shredded cheese (if vegan, use Daiya Shreds)
• About 1 tsp Gochujang or Sriracha
• About 1-2 heaping tablespoons of sauerkraut (raw or unpasteurized is best)
• 1/2 avocado, sliced
• Salt
• Pepper

Optional Ingredients

• Potato chips
• Nori sheet

Some loose directions*

*Because who can keep track of strict ones when you’re drunk or pregnant?

1.  Spread mayo on one side of slice of bread or 1/2 of a lavash/tortilla.
2.  Sprinkle with 1 tsp. cheese, top with sauerkraut, top with avocado slices, sprinkle with salt and pepper, top with remaining cheese.
3.  Optional, some potato chips or one of those seasoned nori sheets for crunch.
4.  On other bread or other side of the lavash, slather gochujang to taste.
5.  Place on top of the gorgeous pile you’ve made or fold over if using lavash.
6.  Place on a hot griddle until brown and cheese melts, then turn over.
7.  Press down on the sandwich with a spatula to make it a melty good mess.
8.  Eat.
9.  Amen.

Cue the soundtrack!

 

 

Congratulations to Mollie Stewart Bandy! She won last week’s contest for two free tickets to The Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show and a Giovanni Rana Pasta package!