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Irish Sandwiches
Cut the meat in very thin slices from partridges, grouse, or any game that has been roasted, and shred some celery. Lay the meat on delicately thin fresh toast-it should be crisp, and not tough--strew celery over, and season well with Tartar sauce. Serve in squares, and on a napkin.
An open-faced game sandwich built on toast rather than bread, meant to use up the remains of a roasted bird. Everything depends on the toast staying crisp, so assemble at the last minute.
- The hinge: crisp, not toughThe original insists the toast be thin, fresh and crisp. Cut bread no thicker than 1/4 inch, toast it dry, and cool it on a rack rather than a plate so steam escapes. Dress and top it only when you are ready to serve, or the sauce will soften it within minutes.
- Game and substitutesPartridge and grouse are seasonal and expensive; any leftover roast game bird works, and roast pheasant, duck or even dark chicken thigh meat will carry the dish. Slice off the bone with a thin, sharp knife.
- Tartar sauce, 1890s senseTartar sauce, period sense -- Tartare of the period is generally a thick, cold mayonnaise sharpened with vinegar or mustard and studded with chopped capers, gherkins and herbs he ssweet modern fish-shop version. Use a stiff, well-seasoned homemade or good-quality jarred sauce; anything thin will soak the toast.
Cassell's belongs to the great age of the British game larder, when a shot bird was roasted whole for dinner and its remains were expected to reappear at a later meal. Open-faced savouries on toast — crisp bread, cold meat, a sharp cold sauce — were a standard solution, and this one is essentially a game salad served on a crouton rather than in a bowl.