The Dagwood Recipe
Choose between either tender roast beef or smoked turkey, or you can have both, stacked with swiss, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, onion and spicy mustard on a sourdough French roll.
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Ingredients
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Sandwich Base
Proteins (choose one or both)
Cheeses
Produce
Spreads & Condiments
Seasoning & Finish
Method
Prepare Produce & Bread
Slice and wash
Rinse lettuce leaves, shake or spin dry and set aside. Slice tomatoes into 1/4-inch (6 mm) rounds. Peel and thinly slice the red onion into rings. Set all produce on a plate and season tomato slices lightly with 1/4 tsp kosher salt and a few grinds of black pepper; reserve remaining salt and pepper for later.
Prepare rolls
Slice each sourdough French roll horizontally but leave a small hinge so the halves stay connected, or split fully if preferred. If toasting, spread about 1/2 tbs butter on each cut side (total 2 tbs) and toast cut-side down in a skillet over medium heat until golden, about 2–3 minutes per side. Remove from heat and set aside.
Prepare Proteins & Cheese
Warm roast beef (if using)
If you prefer warm roast beef, heat a skillet over medium heat. Add beef slices in a single layer and warm 1–2 minutes per side until heated through but not drying out. Alternatively, place beef in a microwave-safe dish, cover, and heat in 20–30 second bursts until warm. Keep warm on low heat or tent with foil.
Warm smoked turkey (if using)
If you prefer warm turkey, warm slices similarly in a skillet or microwave for 20–30 seconds until just warmed. Do not overcook or they will dry.
Layer cheeses for slight melt (optional)
If you want the cheeses slightly melted, preheat broiler to high. Open each roll, place 1 slice Swiss and 1 slice cheddar on the bottom half, then briefly broil 30–60 seconds until cheese just begins to melt and bubble. Watch closely to prevent burning. Alternatively, place assembled sandwiches in a skillet, cover for 30–60 seconds to soften cheese.
Assemble The Dagwood
Spread 1/2 tablespoon spicy brown mustard on the top half of each roll (total 2 tbs used here; reserve remaining mustard to taste). On the bottom half, place a layer of lettuce (2 leaves per sandwich).
Stack the chosen proteins: for single-protein sandwiches use about 75 g (2.6 oz) of either roast beef or turkey per sandwich; for double-protein use roughly 75 g of each per sandwich. Arrange slices in an overlapping pile on top of the lettuce. If you warmed the meats, place them directly on the lettuce so residual heat softens the cheese.
Place 1 slice Swiss and 1 slice cheddar on top of the meat stack (if you pre-melted cheese earlier, this will sit on top). Add 2 tomato slices per sandwich and a few red onion rings to taste.
Season tomato and onion lightly with the remaining 1/4 tsp kosher salt and the remaining black pepper. Add optional pickle slices on top if using.
Close the sandwich, press down gently to compact the layers, then cut each sandwich in half diagonally with a sharp knife. Serve immediately while bread is warm and cheese is slightly melty, or wrap for later service.