Nearly 50% of the American population eats at least one on any given day of the year.

They come in all shapes, sizes, and varieties. They can be served hot or cold. Most are portable, but others are so large they require a crowd of people to consume them.

I am writing, of course, about sandwiches.      

The modern sandwich is named after the 18th century British statesman John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich. Montagu was an avid gambler and spent a ridiculous amount of time at the gaming table.

To avoid stopping a game, Montagu supposedly commanded his servants to bring him beef between two slices of bread whenever he was hungry. Thus, the sandwich was born.

As college students, most of us have neither the time nor the resources to go on lengthy gambling sprees. (I suppose investing tens of thousands of dollars in a degree could be considered a gamble given the current job market, though.)

During each semester, we are constantly bombarded with academic responsibilities such as writing papers, planning presentations, reading textbooks, studying for exams, looking for internships, and mapping out our futures.

Many of us have jobs, extracurricular activities, hobbies, and social lives to balance with our college work as well. 

While dishes such as homemade lasagna are absolutely delectable, they are also time consuming. Not only do ingredients have to be prepped, but the bake time for standard lasagna is an hour. This is not ideal for students with short lunch breaks and mountains of homework. 

To help you save time, the following recipes are my twist on two classic sandwiches that are easy to make and easy to eat.

Since you may be eating solo, I will leave the portion sizes up to you and only focus on the method and ingredients required for each sandwich.  

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The Fourth Earl  

 

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Photo Credit: Catherine O.

Ingredients:

• Butter
• Corned beef, sliced thin
• Dijon mustard
• Sliced rye bread
• Swiss, Gruyere, or Fontina cheese

Directions:

1. Spread mustard on both slices of bread.
2. Place desired amount of beef on one slice.
3. Add cheese.
4. Place the other slice of bread on top and press down gently.
5. Using medium heat, melt enough butter to cover a pan.
6. Cook sandwich until one side is golden and crisp (this will only take a few minutes).
7. Flip and repeat this process.
8. Remove from pan and serve hot.

Sandwiches are versatile and very easy to assemble. Because of this, you can substitute certain ingredients based on your tastes.

I suggested Swiss, Gruyere, or Fontina because each is great for melting and complements the other ingredients well. You can use any of these or another favorite fromage of yours.

The same goes for the bread and mustard. While I enjoy the flavor of both rye and Dijon, you can always go with other options like white bread and yellow mustard. As the chef, the choice is always yours.

If you are more adventurous however, I’d suggest adding some raw onions to this recipe. They go very well with the rest of the ingredients, and add some more texture to the sandwich.

As you may notice, this recipe shares several ingredients with a classic Reuben sandwich.

I am not a big fan of sauerkraut, but if that is your preference check out this Boar’s Head recipe. The directions are similar, just replace the mustard with sauerkraut and Thousand Island dressing.   

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The Italian

 

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Photo Credit: Catherine O.

Ingredients:

• Dijon mustard
• Genoa salami
• Italian bread or Kaiser roll
• Lettuce
• Mayonnaise
• Onion
• Prosciutto
• Provolone cheese (mild or sharp)
• Tomato

Directions:

1. Spread mayonnaise on both slices of bread.
2. Place desired amount of salami on bottom slice.
3. Spread mustard on between slices of salami.
4. Top with prosciutto.
5. Top with provolone.
6. Add onion, tomato, and lettuce.
7. Place other slice of bread on top.
8. Serve cold.

Just like the previous recipe, many of the ingredients on this sandwich can be switched out or left off entirely.

Prosciutto is one of my favorite types of meat, but I understand that it’s not for everyone. Though I think the ancient process of curing is both fascinating and delicious, some people don’t like the idea of raw meats preserved with salt.

In place of prosciutto, you can used boiled ham. It is a classic alternative that many of you already use on your sandwiches and it pairs well with salami.

Lettuce, tomato, and onion go great on most sandwiches and hoagies, but don’t use anything that you dislike. The food snobs will forgive you (eventually).

The bread you use for this sandwich depends on how hungry you are. I used a Kaiser roll, but if you’re looking for something more filling I would suggest an Italian sub roll.

Finally, for a more authentic Italian sub I suggest replacing the mayonnaise with red wine vinaigrette. You will not be disappointed.

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These are two great sandwiches to start with. One’s hot, one’s cold, and they’re both easy! Let me know what you think and stayed tuned for more simple recipes.

ProTip: While grocery shopping on a budget, consider buying generic brands. If you compare the ingredients, they aren’t very different from brand name items and they will save you a lot of money. This is especially important when buying deli meats for these recipes.