Deviled ham? Swiss cheese? RADISHES? Stick with me, folks. Today’s recipe may sound a bit “kitchen sink,” but I promise it’s delicious. 😉
While reading CHARLOTTE’S WEB, I noticed a lot of the food revolves around Templeton the Rat. He’s mostly motivated by food, which I for one find highly relatable. The whole reason he agrees to go to the county fair is because the sheep wows him with descriptions of all the discarded food he’ll find there.
Today’s kinda weird yet tasty recipe is inspired by the lunch Templeton finds wrapped in a newspaper while looking for words for Charlotte’s web. It includes a deviled ham sandwich, some Swiss cheese, and a hard boiled egg. It got me thinking about the song “A Veritable Smorgasbord,” which Templeton sings in the movie, and I thought it would be fun to merge the whole lunch together into one sandwich.
The deviled ham was easy to whip up (I used my variation on a deviled ham salad recipe from Bellyfull). Since the deviled ham already included a hard boiled egg, I didn’t use one as a topping, but you could if want some extra egginess. I decided to throw in some radishes too, since Mr. Zuckerman grows them on his farm in the book. In the end, the whole flavor profile was giving me 1950s vibes in the best way, which is kinda perfect, since the book was written in 1952.
So don’t be shy, give Templeton’s Smorgasbord Sandwich a try. It might pleasantly surprise you, much like Templeton himself. 🙂
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Templeton’s Smorgasbord Sandwich
“Templeton kept out of sight. In the tall grass behind the cattle barn he found a folded newspaper. Inside it were leftovers from somebody’s lunch: a deviled ham sandwich, a piece of Swiss cheese, part of a hard-boiled egg, and the core of a wormy apple. The rat crawled in and ate everything. Then he tore a word out of the paper, rolled it up, and started back to Wilbur’s pen.”
— Charlotte’s Web
INGREDIENTS:
- For the Ham Salad
- 1 8 oz cooked ham steak
- 1 hard boiled egg, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 stalk chopped celery
- 1/2 Tbsp minced onion
- 1/2 Tbsp mustard
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp salt, if desired
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 12-inch loaf of bread
- You want something hearty and substantial so the filling won’t soak through, but not too thick, otherwise it’s too much bread. A demi baguette or ciabatta should do nicely. I used a classic Italian loaf, but it was a bit too thick.
- green leaf or romaine lettuce
- 2 slices Swiss cheese, cut in half
- 2 radishes, sliced thin
- Mustard, yellow or stone ground
Makes 2 6-inch sandwiches
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Combine all ham salad ingredients in a food processor and pulse until it makes a coarse paste. Set aside.
- Cut your bread in half horizontally then vertically, creating two sandwiches. On the bottom of each sandwich layer lettuce, half the ham salad, 2 Swiss cheese halves, half the radish slices, and mustard to taste. Top with remaining bread.
- Serve to a hungry Templeton as a reward for bringing you a wonderful word!
I used a classic Italian loaf for my bread, which truth be told was a bit too thick, making the sandwich too bready. I suggest a bread with a lower profile (but still hearty), like a ciabatta or demi baguette.
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Check out my other sandwich recipes!
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