Home › Sandwiches › Watercress or other Salad Sandwiches
Watercress or other Salad Sandwiches
Prepare bread for sandwiches. Take watercress that has been washed and shaken dry. Dip into French salad dressing and put on bread; a little cheese, creamed, or French mustard spread over salad greens makes a palatable addition. Lettuce, nasturtium, and other salad greens may also be prepared in the above manner. The greens may be shredded or chopped, and mayonnaise dressing may be substituted for French dressing.
A sandwich built on the logic of a salad: greens, dressing, bread. The whole thing hinges on keeping water off the crumb.
- Dry the greens properly"Washed and shaken dry" is the one instruction that decides whether this works. Any water clinging to the leaves will thin the dressing and soak the bread within minutes; a salad spinner followed by a few minutes on a towel is worth the trouble.
- Prepare bread for sandwichesThe book leaves this to a general direction elsewhere; sandwich bread of the period was typically a close-grained white loaf, a day old, cut thin. The recipe does not call for butter, but buttering the slices edge to edge will help keep the dressed greens from soaking the crumb.
- French dressingNot the sweet orange bottled dressing. In books of this period it means oil and vinegar, commonly around two or three parts oil to one of vinegar, with salt and pepper, whisked to a temporary emulsion just before use.
- "A little cheese, creamed"Cheese worked until smooth and spreadable: a soft fresh cheese, or a grated cheese creamed with a little butter or cream. Modern block cream cheese needs to come to room temperature first, or it will tear the bread.
- NasturtiumBoth the leaves and the flowers are edible and peppery, close to watercress in flavour. Use garden-grown or a source you know is unsprayed; ornamental nursery plants are routinely treated.
- Dip versus tossDipping whole sprigs gives a lightly dressed sandwich that holds together. If you shred or chop the greens as the recipe permits, toss them in a bowl with a very small amount of dressing instead — chopped leaves take up far more of it.
- Timing and yieldAssemble within an hour of serving and keep covered with a damp cloth. The recipe gives no quantities; as a rough guide, allow a couple of rounds per person for tea and more for a light lunch, and expect a bunch of watercress to cover several sandwiches.