The Georgia Reuben sandwich was invented at the famous and storied Zingerman’s Deli by by Ari Weinzweig, co-founder of Zingerman’s Deli, a few years before the deli officially opened in 1982 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and is not actually from the state of Georgia. According to Zingerman’s own history, they coined both the name and the sandwich, making it a signature item from the start.
I first started eating this sandwich after being introduced to it by my then boyfriend and later husband whom I met while working at Rick’s American Café in Ann Arbor on Church St. We would eat one after work from Amer’s Deli, which was upstairs from Rick’s at the time in the 1990s and had adopted many of the menu items from the iconic Zingerman’s.
To make this, I piled roasted turkey on light rye with Swiss cheese and a homemade Russian dressing. I purchased a rye loaf with caraway seeds from a bakery a short drive from my home, East Detroit Bakery in Eastpointe, Michigan. It is an excellent bread, but if you don’t use it in a day, you will need to freeze it, as it doesn’t have the preservatives you find in store bought bread. The sandwhich, for best flavor, is grilled in a cast iron pan with butter.
Equipment:
Georgia Reuben Sandwich
This fabulous sandwich was created by one of the co-owners of Ann Arbor’s iconic Zingerman’s Delicatessan.
Ingredients
Instructions
- For Russian Dressing:
- Mash the onion to create a paste using a heavy knife or mortar and pestle. Transfer onion paste to a bowl. Whisk in mayonnaise, chili sauce, horseradish, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, paprika and salt.
- Dressing can be prepared ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container.
- Spread one slice of bread with Russian dressing and butter the other side. Top Russian dressing side with two slices of turkey and two slices of cheese. Top with second slice of buttered bread, butter side up.
- Repeat for second sandwich. Grill sandwich in a heavy pan until golden brown on both sides.