Laura Gutschke: Stack the Flavors in One Sandwich

Sandwiches present endless possibilities for picnic fare.

Which bread? What fillers? With or without dressing? Do such trimmings as lettuce, olives or sliced pickles add or detract from the main ingredients?

The ladies of The Junior League of Corpus Christi had some interesting sandwich suggestions in their 1973 cookbook "Fiesta: Favorite Recipes of South Texas." Several of them involved broiling open-face sandwiches for a tea or game day party at home.

Sandwich loaf by Mrs. William N. Woolsey (Sandra Callaway) is better suited for a beach outing or picnic. The sandwich has three fillings, so the final result is piled high with complementary flavors.

The original recipe suggests using unsliced Pullman loaf bread — a white bread that is not common in today's local grocery stores. For a recent day outing to the Abilene State Park, I used sliced bread. Following is my update of the recipe.



8-ounce package Neufchatel cheese

1-2 teaspoons half-and-half

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup broken olive salad (or stuffed green olives), chopped

Salt to taste

12 slices bread, your choice

8 ounces pimiento cheese spread

8 ounces chicken or tuna salad


1. Mix Neufchâtel with enough half-and-half to make a spreadable consistency. (Another option is to use 1 to 2 teaspoons juice from the olive jar.) Add chopped pecans and olives and season with salt. Set aside in refrigerator for flavors to meld for at least 1 hour.

2. Trim crusts from bread slices. Lay out bread into three rows, with four slices in each row.

3. On top slice in each row, spread a thin layer of pimento cheese.

4. On each second slice, spread a thin layer of chicken or tuna salad.

5. On each third slice, spread a thin layer of cream cheese mixture.

6. Stack the four slices to make three tall sandwiches. Cut each sandwich into fourths. Serve immediately, or prepare ahead and chill until mealtime.


My first visit to the recently opened Abilene Farmers Market revealed several uncommon varieties of produce, such as patty squash, white radishes and purple potatoes.

The market is open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 7 a.m. until sell out in the parking lot across from Frontier Texas!, 625 N. 1st St.Patty squash looks like a flying saucer, white radishes like carrots or parsnips and purple potatoes like dark new potatoes.

These ingredients can be enjoyed like more familiar varieties because the flavors are similar. The most noticeable difference is in appearance. If dark potatoes seem a little unusual, try them in the following recipe by including red or new potatoes.



15 to 20 purple and new potatoes, cleaned and cut in half

3-4 cloves garlic, sliced

1 tablespoon rosemary, oregano or other favorite herb

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 slices thick bacon, chopped


1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. In large bowl toss potatoes with garlic, herb, salt, pepper and olive oil.

3. Layer seasoned potatoes on large baking sheet. Distribute bacon evenly on potatoes.

4. Roast in oven 45 to 55 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Dish is ready when bacon is crispy and potatoes are fork tender and browned. Serve immediately.
