Being a strict disliker, oh alright, a HATER, of mayonnaise, I've always shied away from Reuben sandwiches because of the "Russian" dressing used on them. It's based on mayo, and I won't eat it. ("Russian" is in quotes because the dressing doesn't have anything to do with Russia - it's first mentioned in US sources in the early 1900's.) Recently I read through a couple of Reuben recipes and they sounded absolutely fantastic. EXCEPT for the dressing. So, I branched out and searched for "russian dressing no mayonnaise". What to my wondering eyes should appear but dozens of recipes for red Russian dressings that don't use mayo! This one sounds fantastic.
(Please make the dressing before you start on the sauerkraut and the sandwich. The celery seeds need time to infuse the liquids. At least an hour, but a day or two would be even better.)
Well, it's been a week since I found this recipe, and I made the dressing right after I put it up here. After 3 days I tried it and it was spectacular. (I upped the celery seeds from 1.5 Tsp to 1 Tbs - the increased celery notes are awesome.) Last night, 6 days since I made the dressing, I made an Italian pasta salad and used the red Russian instead of Italian dressing. OMG, it was GREAT! This recipe is much more than just for Reuben sandwiches.
Another note about the dressing, it takes BLTs to another level!
Updated Sandwich Recipe - ¡La Torta Rubén!
I recently fell in love with buffalo wing sauce, so, in addition to finding Cleveland Kraut, an excellent sauerkraut you don't have to make, I started using buffalo wing sauce instead of the Catalina dressing. Fantastic flavor, and strangely it goes so well with the sauerkraut. It's amazing. Today, however, (11/21/2024), I made a Reuben, did the construction, then opened the door of the fridge to get the buffalo wing sauce. That was when I noticed the sliced jalapeños in the door. O. M. G., the jalapeños on top of the sauerkraut, underneath the cheese and with the buffalo wing sauce were AWESOME! The jalapeños make this sandwich not a Reuben, but a Rubén 😆
Catalina (Red Russian) Dressing
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar (Most recipes call for red wine vinegar but the balsamic brings out the beautiful dark red color.)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1⁄2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoons celery seeds (I used a tablespoon and the flavor skyrocketed.)
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon (1 1/2 teaspoons) of garlic powder
What to do with them...
- Combine all of the ingredients and whisk to blend well. Put it in a jar and then into the refrigerator. Let the dressing sit for as long as possible before using it to allow the spice flavors to infuse the liquid. At least an hour or better yet a day or two or even longer.
The Reuben Sandwich
From Carlsbad Cravings
I'm slowly editing this recipe to fit me :-) So far I've added the Catalina dressing and horseradish sauce, and now the panini press version. One important thing I found when starting out was that you can use pastrami instead of corned beef; corned beef is often hard to come by, at least a slab version of the meat. Cans of corned beef are everywhere but, no thank you. I'd much rather have thinly sliced deli meat on my sandwich.
Ingredients
(These ingredients are for four (4) sandwiches)
- 3 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 pound corned beef – thin deli slices, or homemade - pastrami works if corned beef is hard to find
- 8 slices rye bread
- 8 slices Swiss cheese, preferably Swiss Gruyere
- 1 1/4 cups sauerkraut, well-drained
- Horseradish sauce to mix with the sauerkraut
- Catalina dressing to mix with the sauerkraut - or use buffalo sauce, it's FANTASTIC.
- Butter for grilling
- Vegetable oil or light olive oil for grilling
What to do with them...
- Homemade Corned Beef, if using: Can be sliced or shredded. Microwave just to warm through with jus (or gently heat on the stovetop) and cover with foil to keep warm. Drain excess liquid before using.
- Spread parchment paper out on a flat surface. Spread ½ tablespoon of butter on one side of each slice of bread.
- To four bread slices (the other slices are the tops), layer the corned beef, drained sauerkraut, a little horseradish sauce, some Catalina dressing, and two slices of Swiss cheese. Top with the other 4 slices of bread, buttered side up/on the outside.
- Melt 1 tablespoon butter with 1 tablespoon oil in a nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium-low heat. Add 1-2 sandwiches (whatever comfortably fits), cover, and cook until the bread is golden on the bottom and the cheese is starting to melt, about 3-4 minutes.
- Flip the sandwich(es) over and continue to cook until the cheese is melted and the bottom bread is toasted, another 3-4 minutes. (Reduce the heat as needed if the bread is browning too quickly before the cheese is melted). Repeat with remaining sandwiches.
On a Panini Press
The last two steps above can be skipped if you have a Panini press, and you can skip the oil called for in the ingredient list above. Just put the sandwiches in the press and cook 'em up! Here are the steps specifically for a panini press:
- Butter the outside surface of the bread.
- Turn the bottom piece over so the buttered side is lying down. Put two half slices of cheese on the bread, and then layer as much corned beef/pastrami as you'd like.
- Drain the sauerkraut you want to put on the sandwich, get it as dry as possible. Spoon the sauerkraut on the corned beef.
- Add the horseradish sauce and Catalina dressing on top of the sauerkraut. Put the other two half slices of Swiss cheese over the sauerkraut, place the top piece of bread on top, buttered side facing up, and plop it in the press for between 5 and 10 minutes.