Grilled Vegetable, Herb & Goat Cheese Sandwiches

I’ve never met a sandwich that I didn’t like. As I state proudly in my biography, I’m a sucker for a good sandwich. In fact, I think I would go so far as to say that a good sandwich, paired with a perfect side, is probably the most satisfying meal I could I eat.

But what makes a good sandwich?  First and foremost, you’ve got to go all out with your bread.  A good quality bread, like Thuet’s pretzel bread, or a decent baguette is a good place to start. If your bread is too flimsy, or too hard, or too bland, it can ruin the best sandwich intentions.

Next come your condiments.  As I have stated here before, I adore Kozlik’s Canadian Mustard.  At any given time we can have three different types of mustard in the apartment (that’s a lot of mustard for 710 square feet!); a grainy mustard, dijon and something different and yummy like Kozlik’s Tarragon.  Mayonnaise is great, especially mixed with mustard.  Pesto, salsa, hot sauce, even ketchup.  And don’t forget the butter.

When it comes to cheese and vegetables, I’m totally easy.  Heaven knows I am my mother’s daughter, so any type of goat cheese, soft cheese like Brie or something salty like feta really gets my gears going (on a sandwich or otherwise), but really, anything goes.  As for veggies, I love every vegetable.  I will eat any vegetable on, or off, a sandwich, made any way.

Meat is where it gets tricky.  I’m picky here.  Tuna is good, turkey is better.  But not that shiny stuff that you buy at Sobey’s.  I’m talking real, oven-roasted turkey breast, cooked fresh and thick-sliced for your sandwich.  Ham is good too, or something spicy like the Genoa salami we’ve got in the fridge right now.  Two weeks in Paris gave me a great appreciation for roasted chicken sandwiches with hard boiled eggs.

This particular sandwich, courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis, covers off all of the above — with the exception of the meat, as it is a vegetarian sandwich.  I spied it on the Food Network’s Giada at Home over the weekend and immediately put it on the menu for this week.  This recipe was even dinner conversation with my brother and his wife, who happened to catch the same episode and also thought it was a pretty sexy looking sandwich.

Admittedly I broke my own bread rule here and picked up a baguette at the grocery store late in the evening that was most definitely on the getting-stale side by the time I started making dinner the next day.  This sandwich was everything I imagined it to be on the so-so bread, so on a decent loaf it would be outstanding.  A handful of Kettle Chips on the side complimented the creaminess of the goat’s cheese and the soft grilled vegetables.  (Chips are definitely on the list of perfect sides I mentioned before, but we’ll save that discussion for another time, yeah?)

What do you think makes a perfect sandwich?

Grilled Vegetable, Herb & Goat Cheese Sandwiches

From Giada at Home

Makes 4 sandwiches

Ingredients:

1/2 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 zucchini, sliced lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick pieces
2 eggplants, sliced lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick pieces
1 (12 1/2 ounces) baguette, sliced in half lengthwise
1 cup ( 6 1/2 ounces) goat cheese, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups baby spinach

Method:

1. Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill.

2. In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, tarragon, thyme, salt, and pepper. Place 2 tablespoons of the mixture in a medium bowl. Add the zucchini and eggplant to the medium bowl and toss until coated.

3. Place the vegetables on the grill and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until tender. While the vegetables are cooking, spread the olive oil mixture on the baguette halves. Using a spatula, spread the goat cheese over the olive oil mixture.

4. Place the cooked vegetables on the bottom half of the baguette. Arrange the spinach on top of the vegetables. Place the top half of the baguette on top of the filling.

5. To serve, cut the baguette into 4 sandwiches. Serve immediately or wrap in parchment paper and refrigerate for up to 2 hours.