Whaaat’s this??
A sandwich?
There have been roughly 2.5 sandwiches in the history of The Roasted Root, so seeing one on here is like running into a One Eyed One Horned Flying Purple People Eater while ice skating on Lake Havasu in August.
Okay, that may be a stretch, but sandos are rare here, can we all agree? Can we also agree that sometimes we all just need a big meaty sandinger with melted cheese and something briny with a super special sauce on toasted bread?
Nods of agreement.
Can I just say this might be the best sandwich I ever laid mouth on? This might be the best sandwich I ever laid mouth on. Let’s chat.
This is a pretty loose interpretation of a reuben.
A typical reuben includes corned beef on thick slices of rye bread with swiss cheese, sauerkraut and a Russian dressing.
So here’s what I did – I replaced the corned beef with turkey pastrami (more on that in a second), skipped the rye and used gluten-free bread instead, and replaced the Russian dressing with mustard aioli.
BANG, best sando ever.
The only thing that could have made it better is if I dipped it into a vat of strawberry jam. And that is no lie.
Now the meat.
One thing I don’t talk about on here often is the fact that I am very particular about my meat.
I’m no where near a vegetarian (although sometimes my string of vegetarian or vegan recipes would suggest otherwise), but it’s important to me that the meat I consume be humanely raised.
I am also a huge proponent of the you-are-what-you-eat mantra, so I have an appreciation for farms that raise animals naturally (meaning as free of hormones and antibiotics as possible), and on a healthful diet.
There are specific farms whose practices I admire, so I tend to stick to meat from those farms when it comes down to feeding time.
I am very much a different strokes for different folks person and realize every individual’s approach to food is personal; however, I prioritize being conscious of the food I eat from a physical, ethical, and environmental standpoint.
Which brings me to my next point:
The turkey pastrami. Have you ever even heard of such a thing?
It’s my favorite deli meat bar none. Recently, the Diestel Family Turkey Ranch released a new line of non-GMO deli meat, making them the first ever company to do so.
The ranch is one of the last family-owned and operated meat companies in the United States, and they have been sustainably raising animals since 1949. You can learn more about what makes their products different here.
Diestel non-GMO certified deli meat comes in a variety flavors: naturally oven roasted, naturally smoked, honey roasted, pepper roasted, herb roasted, pastrami seasoned (woop woop!), and chipotle seasoned.
Because the GMO topic can be sensitive and lengthy, I have decided to skip the discussion for this blog post. If you are unfamiliar with the topic, you can learn about it from the Non-GMO Project.
Where can you find Diestel non-GMO deli meat? Whole Foods, and possibly your local natural food store. Click here to find a vendor near you.
The mustard aioli. Let’s get obsessed. If you’ve never made aioli in the comfort of your own home, do it! Raw eggs – are we afraid of them?
Naaaah!
Yes, you need raw egg yolk for aioli, but you can temper the yolk if the raw thing is too much to handle. The mustard aioli makes for good eats, and it’s how this dreamboat comes together like whoa.
You will want to put it all the places, and you would be right to do so.
Let’s make this dreamboat happen.
I adapted the recipe for the mustard aioli from How Sweet it Is.
Turkey Pastrami Reuben with Mustard Aioli
Ingredients
For the Reubens:
- Gluten-free bread of choice*
- Swiss cheese
- Sliced Turkey Pastrami
- Sauerkraut
- Mustard Aioli recipe below
For the Mustard Aioli:
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons stone ground mustard
Instructions
Prepare the Mustard Aioli:
- Add the Dijon mustard, egg yolk, and lemon juice to a mixing bowl and whisk together until smooth.
- Slowly incorporate the olive oil into the mixture, whisking small amounts of it in at a time until it is completely incorporated. Whisk vigorously until mixture is thick and creamy.
- Add the stone ground mustard
Prepare the Reube Sandwiches:
- Put your oven on the high broil setting.
- Place slices of bread on a baking sheet and place on the top (or second to the top) wrack in your oven. Bake for 2 to 3 minutes, or until bread reaches desired crisp.
- Remove from the oven and flip all slices of bread over. Add sliced or grated Swiss cheese to half of the slices of bread, and place back in the oven for 3 minutes or until cheese has melted and bread is toasted.
- Add desired amount of turkey pastrami meat, sauerkraut, and mustard aioli to each sandwich.
- Slice sandwiches in half and devour.
Notes
Nutrition
This is not a sponsored post. I admire the Diestel Family Turkey Ranch for their sustainable and humane practices, and all opinions in this post are my own.
Just made this mustard aioli for salmon burgers tonight. I asked my husband what I should write and he said “tell her I was eating it with a spoon.” Thanks for the recipe!
Haha! I’m so happy to hear you made and enjoyed it! Eating sauces by the spoonful is something I do all the time, so I like your husband’s style 🙂 Thanks for the sweet note, and enjoy the rest of your week, Beth!
Gimme all the sandwich.
You got it, sister! I wish I could teleport you one right now. 😀
Everything is so perfect about this sandwich!! I’m kind of obsessed with mustard and always put an obscene amount on my sandwiches! Is it bad that I want to drink this aioli?! I want this sandwich right now!!
I’ve been putting mustard on everything in sight. And I can’t figure out why other than the fact that mustard is just freaking delicious. But not yella mustard…I could go all my life without eating yella mustard. 😉 Hope you make the aioli!
Things I love: A) a good sandwich, B) turkey pastrami & C) reubens, or variations thereof. So this is on my list of things to make now! And I’ll be looking into the Diestel link too and seeing if I can find near me.
So happy to hear it! Since you’re in California, Diestel products should be pretty easy to find. Let me know if you try them out and if you make the sandos! 😀
now THAT is a good looking sandwich! so glad i found your website.. love your work!
Thanks, Thalia! Let me know if you give ‘er a whirl 🙂
I have only been following your blog for 2 or 3 months, so I am not quite as shocked as the others over the sandwich. However I am with you on being picky about the meat you do eat. Putting that aside, Reubens and variations of them are my all time consistently favorite sandwiches. As I am writing this, I realized that I really don’t eat that many sandwiches. Hence looking at this one is making me think—-Wow I would really like a sandwich. The mustard goop for it is awesome.
I hear ya, sister…when it’s sandwich time, it’s SANDWICH time if you know what I mean. LOVE the mustard goop. Mustard goop for all the foods!
That sandwich looks super yummy! Thanks for sharing about that pastrami from Diestel, I am going to look for that at Whole Foods. We are very picky about our meat over here, too!
Oh good, I’m glad you’re going to check them out! Their turkey is the best I’ve had. Let me know if you try it!!
Ju, this is going on my must make list as soon as possible. Delicious. I didn’t know about this Turkey brand. I’ll check if I can find it in Canada! Have a wonderful weekend!
We are big sandwich people over here, so you know Ryan and I are both drooling over this recipe! Looks so good!
Oh heck yeah! May we be forever blessed with delicious sandwiches. Hope you and Ryan enjoy 🙂
Holla to your meat-eating principles, lady! And HOLLA to this sandwich. I will be scouting out this turkey and eating this sandwich every day for all the days of my life. Kidding (so not kidding).
I prefer my reuben with turkey, so it’s all good in the hood here. I’ll take extra aioli, please.
Indeed! After I made the aioli, I put it on everything in sight. #Mustardfordayz 😉
No lie. I saw this on Facebook and thought you were sharing from another blog, since it was a sandwich. But, hey! I can serve you meat when you visit, because our beef comes from our vet, who raises them without all of the hormones and antibiotics and all that stuff. And it is GOOD! Have a great weekend, my dear.
IIIII know, right?! Everyone’s so accustomed to seeing salads on here that I’m sure I’ve just blindsided my readers….with the holy rays of deliciousness < - don't ask...there's never enough coffee on a Friday morning. Anyhoo, I'm so excited to see you in September and can't wait to eat up all the good beef! 😀