The Irish Recipe

In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 cup mayonnaise, 3 tablespoons ketchup, 3 tablespoons sweet pickle relish, 1 teaspoon grated onion, 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce and 1 teaspoon hot sauce until smooth.

Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Taste and adjust sweetness or acidity if needed. Refrigerate until assembly (at least 15 minutes).

Stir together 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon minced chipotle peppers, 1 teaspoon lime juice and 1 teaspoon honey until smooth.

Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Refrigerate until assembly. If sauce is too thick, thin with a few drops of water or extra lime juice.

Pour vegetable oil into a heavy skillet or pot to reach a depth of about 1-1.5 inches (use roughly 400–500 ml) and heat to 180°C (350°F). If you don't have a thermometer, oil should sizzle when a small drop of batter is added.

Pat 16 thick dill pickle slices dry with paper towels to remove excess brine.

In a bowl, whisk 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon paprika and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

In a separate bowl, whisk 1 egg with 3/4 cup cold club soda (or beer) until combined. Add the wet mix to the dry mix and stir just until combined; batter should be slightly lumpy and thick enough to coat pickles.

Working in batches, dip pickle slices into batter, letting excess drip off, then carefully lower into hot oil. Fry 2–3 minutes per side until golden and crisp.

Use a slotted spoon to transfer fried pickles to a paper towel-lined tray and season lightly with a pinch of salt. Keep warm in a low oven (90–100°C / 200–210°F) while you finish others.

Butter one side of each rye bread slice (8 slices total) with the 4 tablespoons unsalted butter.

Place 4 bread slices butter-side-down on a work surface. Spread a generous tablespoon of chilled 1000 island dressing on each (use about 4 tbs total).

Divide the 500 g thinly sliced corned beef evenly among the 4 bottom slices, piling it in a single high layer (about 125 g per sandwich).

Top the corned beef with about 1/2 cup drained sauerkraut per sandwich (2 cups total divided among 4). If sauerkraut is very wet, squeeze lightly before measuring.

Add two slices of Swiss cheese on top of the sauerkraut for each sandwich.

Spread a thin layer (about 1 teaspoon) of chipotle sauce on each of the remaining 4 bread slices (the tops), then place them chipotle-side-down onto the sandwiches to close them.

Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Carefully transfer sandwiches, butter-side-down, and cook 3–4 minutes per side until bread is deeply golden and cheese is melted. Press gently with a spatula to help melting; if bread browns before cheese melts, lower heat and cover pan for 1–2 minutes.

Remove sandwiches and let rest 1 minute, then slice each in half.

Top each sandwich with 4 fried pickles (from the Fried Pickles section) and drizzle about 1 tablespoon chipotle sauce over the pickles. Serve extra 1000 island dressing on the side for dipping.