When I sit down to plan out the next week’s sandwiches, I try to switch up year/cookbook and main ingredient. What I don’t tend to do is pay too much attention to the way the sandwich is to be made. And this week that came back to bite me a couple of times. Oh well, them’s the breaks.
And this week was a full one for In The Chips with Barry so be sure to check out the recap for all three reviews and the always ridiculous, Can It Sandwich?
Be sure to read to the end for a wee bit o’ bonus content.
If you enjoy the read, give it a little love by clicking or tap on that ❤️ button at the bottom. Thanks!
The Sandwiches
Sunday, April 28, 2024
Wigan Kebab (UK)
International Sandwich Sunday
Original rating: 7.5
Plus up: Bisto Gravy | Malt | Vinegar HP Sauce
Plussed up rating: 8 | 8.5 | 8.5
As always we kick things off with International Sandwich Sunday and the Wigan Kebab. I had folks from in and around Wigan write in to tell me I nailed it and others from the same area saying I screwed it up royally. Ahh, the internet. Aside from absolutely screwing up the barm size (bun), this was a tasty if not very filling sandwich. Meat and potato pie (that I picked up from Julie’s British Bakery here in San Jose) between buttered bread AND mush peas? Nap be thy name. But it was tasty. While the Bisto Gravy Granules made a gravy that didn’t taste great on it it’s own, once in the sandwich was quite nice. Nicer still was the malt vinegar plus up as was the tamarindy goodness of the HP Sauce (affiliate link). Just so we’re clear, these are bought and consumed at chips shops, not something that’s made at home. And usually after a few pints. So I say if you find yourself in Wigan, go for it.
In case you missed it:
Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | Facebook | Reddit
Monday, April 29, 2024
Stella’s Favorite Sandwich
Our History
Original rating: 7.5
Plus up: Swiss Cheese | Grilled Cheese Treatment
Plussed up rating: 8 | 8.5
When Dan firs email a link to a video of his daughter making her favorite sandwich then plussing it up, I figure I just had to try it. But, being 10 years old, she used a mini pretzel bun. So my lame brain thought, “I’m a big adult, I’m going to use a full size pretzel bun!” The result? Too much cheese! Good lord, this was a lot of cheese. NIce slight sharpness of the Tillamook cheddar and slight saltiness of the shaved parmesan worked well together. And I like the contrast provided by Kalamata olives. Plussed up with a little nutty Swiss was nice but with that much cheese I had not choice but to get it a little melty with the Grilled Cheese Treatment. Thankfully, Christine jumped in to help me finish it. Whether it’s due to a lot of cheese or spiciness, I am always surprised how many folks want to leave a comment about…erm…let’s just say, how well the sandwich will be digested and the end result. Fascinating.
In case you missed it:
Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | Facebook | Reddit
Tuesday, April 30, 2024
Shrimp Sandwich (1937)
Household Searchlight Recipe Book
Original rating: 4.5
Minus down: Cajun Seasoning Blend
Plussed up rating: 4.5
Ahh, the Shrimp Sandwich, the beginning of the downturn this week in sandwichland. You might think after this and last week’s abomination, the Salmonburger Tropicale from 1957, that I don’t like seafood and fruit. But that is not true. It just needs to be the right pairing and the right preparation. This sandwich got the former wrong whereas the Salmonburger Tropciale nailed the latter. Still, this wasn’t horrific by any stretch. I just don’t need raisins, plumped or otherwise, with shrimp. In any dish. This episode also saw the rare lateral plus up wherein the Cajun seasoning blend (affiliate link) wasn’t worse but also wasn’t better. Oh well, gotta try, right?
In case you missed it:
Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | Facebook | Reddit
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
Spanish Sandwich (1921)
A New Book Of Cookery
Original rating: 1
Plus up: None
Ugh. Yet another example of cookbook authors engaging in exoticism when naming a sandwich. Some of these ingredients might be able to be sourced from Spain but in no way was this a “Spanish” sandwich. Way too much vinegar to be able to taste the other ingredients. The one upside to a recipe being this bad is that it is ripe for a Recipe Remix. So stay tuned for that.
In case you missed it:
Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | Reddit
Thursday, May 2, 2024
Tomato Sandwich (1917)
Salads and Sandwiches
Original rating: 4.5
Plus up: Fresh tarragon
Plussed up rating: 5
I think “not terrible” is a good way to sum up the Tomato Sandwich from 1917. It was overly sweet thanks to the sugar added to both the mustard dressing AND the sandwich filling (that also used the mustard dressing). I think it might be more interesting to mix a small amount of dijon mustard with mayonnaise as the dressing. I mean, jarred mayonnaise started to be sold commercially 1907 so it was widely available by 1917. Adding a little fresh tarragon helped to bring another flavor to the party that offset the sweetness a tad.
In case you missed it:
Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | Facebook | Reddit
Friday, May 3, 2024
Cheesegg Sandwich (1936) w/Guest Host Derrell Smith
1,001 Sandwiches
Original rating: 6.5
Plus up: Habanero hot sauce and a squeeze of lemon
Plussed up rating: 7.5
What can I say about Darrell’s guest hosting of Sandwiches of History other than it was hilarious, perfectly timed and edited, glorious, spectacular, and way better than any episode I’ve done. He understood the assignment and didn’t just nail it but when above and beyond. If you haven’t watched it, stop reading this and watch it now (then do come back. He took on the Cheesegg Sandwich from the book that looooooves portmanteaus a little too much, 1,001 Sandwiches. As we saw in the video, the name was deceptive as the eggs were merely added to provide body to what was essentially a tomato cheese dip sandwich. Think Rotel, for example. But Darrell seemed to enjoy it. Even more so when plussed it up with a little habanero hot sauce and a squeeze of lemon.
Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | Facebook | Reddit
Saturday, May 4, 2024
Oregon Smoke Sandwich
A 1908 Recipe Card
Original rating: 7.5
Plus up: Lemon zest
Plussed up rating: 8
While this sandwich wasn’t 10, it was absolutely delicious. How could it not be? Hot smoked salmon, mayonnaise, and peppery greens? So good. Plussed it up with a little acidity and lemon oil from lemon zest which perked things up nicely. Easy to make so I recommend you give it a go.
In case you missed it:
Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | Facebook | Reddit
So, which sandwiches are on offer for next week?
Monday 5/6 - Christine’s Aunt Sandwich
Tuesday 5/7 - Super Sandwich 1982
Wednesday 5/8 - Queen Club Sandwich 1936
Thursday 5/9 - Tomato Club Sandwich 1923
Friday 5/10 - Walnut Picnic Sandwich 1914
Saturday 5/11 - PB & Grape Sandwich our history
Sunday 5/12 - Venezuelan Steak Pepito
In The Chips with Barry
And we are back with a full compliment of potato chips this week. And while the source for the chips were only two countries, China and the UK, flavor-wise, we were all over the map.
Slabs Thick & Big Chicken Roast Potato Chips
This was the second flavor from Slabs that I tried and this one was not quite as good as the Cheese and Onion flavor. It did have a slight roasty chicken thing going on but it was a bit thin. On the other hand, those slabs are might thick, so lot’s of potato flavor.
In case you missed it:
Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | Facebook
Lay’s of China Hot & Spicy Braised Duck Tongue Potato Chips
Fun fact, I’ve never had duck tongue regardless of preparation. Something about eating the part of an animal that used to taste food kinda weirds me out. Still, they are a popular snack in China and I am not going to yuck their yum. They were tasty with an interesting spice blend which I am pretty sure included Sichuan peppercorns. But there was the characteristic aspartame aftertaste that we’ve come to expect from Lay’s of China. Which really took it down several points. Not bad but not great either.
In case you missed it:
Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | Facebook
Kent Crisps Oyster & Vinegar Potato Chips
Ordinarily, if a chip doesn’t pay off the promised flavor, it looses a lot of points. But in this instance, while I didn’t taste oysters, the salt and vinegar was nicely balanced with the potato flavor. Which I enjoyed. There was a slight sugary sweetness that I could have done without but still, not bad. Picked these up at World Market/Cost Plus.
In case you missed it:
Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | Facebook
Can It Sandwich?
This was one of those rare weeks where none of the chips were absolute home runs and none were so bad as to not qualify for sandwiching. One thing I’ve learned from doing Can It Sandwich? is that the fat of the butter can greatly improve mediocre flavored chips. Sure enough, each of the flavors benefitted and eneded up sandwich quite nicely. Oddly enough, even the sandwich that had all three flavors worked as well. Just goes to prove you never can tell.
In case you missed it:
Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | Facebook
Phew! You made it to the end. As a thanks for reading all the way to here, I’m going to give you a little peek at the actual cover over my cookbook that is coming out this fall (I’ll announce pre-sales soon!)
Thanks for again for following Sandwiches of History (and for subscribing to this recap!)
Have a great week!
Cheers!
Barry
🥪
Love the cookbook cover!!
What a fun cover! Congratulations on getting this far.