St. Patrick’s Day recipe: Corned beef sandwiches + secret sauce

Tired of the same old corned beef and cabbage St. Patrick’s Day menu? This year, try putting corned beef into a sandwich paired with a secret sauce instead. This recipe comes from Sonya Keister, food blogger and author of “Chef’s Table: Concepts and Recipes for Gathering” (Keister, $40).

Keister initially wanted to develop this as a slider recipe for Super Bowl and similar sports-watching parties, but with a runny egg component, decided it worked better as a full-size sandwich. “The runny egg oozing into the creamy sauce offset by the sauerkraut and tiny kick from the secret sauce is just so delicious,” she says. “Trust me.”

Corned Beef Sandwiches

Makes 6 full-size or 12 appetizer-size sandwiches

INGREDIENTS

Secret sauce:

3/4 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons sour cream

2 tablespoons ketchup

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

1½ teaspoons Calabrian chili pepper paste

1 tablespoon creamy horseradish ·

1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste

Corned beef sandwiches:

6 full-size pretzel buns

Dijon mustard

1½ pounds corned beef, thinly sliced

1 pound Swiss cheese

Olive oil

6 eggs

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Salt, pepper

Sauerkraut to taste

DIRECTIONS

In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, Calabrian chile pepper paste, horseradish and salt to taste, whisking until smooth. Set aside.

Slather each pretzel bun with a little Dijon mustard on one side and secret sauce on the other. Place on baking sheet.

Top the bottom half of each pretzel roll with several slices of corned beef and top with Swiss cheese. Place another slice of Swiss cheese on the other half of the pretzel bun. Broil sandwiches — open face — until the cheese is melted on both halves, watching closely to make sure you don’t overdo it.

Working in batches, heat olive oil in a nonstick skillet and cook 1 egg per sandwich until set, but still a little runny in the middle. Sprinkle with Parmesan, season with salt and pepper, then transfer each egg to a sandwich. Finish with sauerkraut, more secret sauce and the bun top. Serve as is or slice in half for smaller portions.

This recipe was first republished here as a recommended recipe for a Super Bowl gathering.

— Courtesy Sonya Keister, “Chef’s Table: Concepts and Recipes for Gathering” (Keister, $40)