Lightweight Tipsy Recipe

Prepare cabbage and carrot: finely shred the green cabbage so it’s tender but still has bite. Grate the carrot and squeeze out any excess moisture with a clean towel or hands.

Make dressing: In a medium bowl whisk together mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, sugar, Dijon mustard, celery seed, kosher salt, and black pepper until smooth and emulsified.

Combine and chill: Add shredded cabbage and grated carrot to the dressing and toss until everything is evenly coated. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt, pepper, or vinegar if needed. Cover and chill at least 20 minutes while you assemble the sandwich — chilling mellows the dressing and helps the slaw join the sandwich without making it soggy.

Warm pastrami (optional)

If your pastrami brisket is cold, warm it gently: heat a skillet over medium heat, add the pastrami in a single layer and warm 1–2 minutes per side until just heated through. Alternatively, steam slices for 1–2 minutes between foil.

Butter bread: Spread about 1/2 tablespoon of butter on one side of each bread slice (use 4 tablespoons total). The buttered side will be the exterior for grilling.

Assemble sandwiches: On the unbuttered side of 4 slices, spread 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard each. Layer 3–4 ounces (about 3–4 slices depending on thickness) warm pastrami brisket per sandwich evenly over the mustard. Top the pastrami with two slices of Swiss cheese each. Spoon about 3/4 cup of the prepared cole slaw onto the cheese layer (divide slaw evenly among sandwiches). Close each sandwich with the remaining bread slice, buttered side out.

Grill the sandwich: Heat a heavy skillet or griddle over medium heat. Place sandwiches buttered-side down and press gently with a spatula or sandwich weight. Cook 3–4 minutes until the bread is golden brown and the cheese begins to melt. Flip carefully and cook another 2–3 minutes until the other side is golden and cheese is fully melted. Reduce heat if bread is browning too quickly before cheese melts.

Rest and serve: Remove sandwiches from the pan and let rest 1 minute, then cut in half on a diagonal. Serve immediately with optional corn beef/pastrami au jus for dipping and dill pickles on the side.