Honey Dijon Dipping Sauce

Today’s offering is a condiment, this honey Dijon dipping sauce. A condiment that goes with the best sandwich ever (aside from The Best German Chicken Sandwich).

But in essence, it’s really nothing special. It’s a sandwich.

A sandwich, you say? What’s the big deal?

Well, here’s why it’s a big deal. I LOVE SANDWICHES.

They really are the most versatile food. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, dessert…there is always a sandwich to suit your mood. Change up the bread, change up the meat, change up the sauce- the options are endless. One of my first jobs was actually that of a Subway sandwich artist. Truth be told, it was probably one of my favorite jobs.

One of the other reasons that I love sandwiches so much as that I almost never eat them. I try and not buy bread because I can’t control myself around it, so I usually only get sandwiches when I eat out. With fries, always…my other vice. As my pal L so eloquently put it, I eat fries like they are going to be discontinued.  Offer me a good sandwich and fries and I’ll be at your mercy.  It’s that easy.

Back in law school, to clear my mind of all the legal mumbo jumbo that filled my brain five days a week, I took a job at a local chain restaurant, Copeland’s Cheesecake Bistro. It really is a southern knockoff of a restaurant by a similar name. Anyhoo, I worked the Friday-Sunday shift for about three years, and though it was hard work, I welcomed the distraction from my student existence.  Of all the greasy, artery-clogging goodness on the menu, the sandwich off of what this meal is modeled is my favorite. It’s really nothing special, but to this day, 7 years later, I still think about it:  Turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato, garlic mayo on brioche bread, toasted and dipped in a honey mustard sauce. 

This sandwich also owns what has become sort of an epic story amongst a small circle of my friends and it involves my good friend L. You see, L can out eat any man, woman or child on the face of this Earth. I don’t know where it goes since she’s always been long and lean. Because I don’t see her all that often, I forget this and when I see her and we share a meal, I try and keep up with her bite for bite. I always fail, and find myself stuffed to the brink and they become what we refer as “days of gluttony.” One such outing was at afternoon tea in London. The first, however, was at the Bistro.

As our impending summer abroad was taking shape, L and I met at the Bistro to get The Sandwich and discuss the details. If I were to get this meal today, I’d be splitting it. Then, undaunted by the monstrous size of these restaurant portions, we each tucked in to our own sandwich. And we both finished them. Thinking we could handle more, we ordered a brownie sundae. And finished that, too. Even our waiter was in awe of our accomplishment. So were we.  Until we got home.

The next day we both admitted to being so uncomfortably full that we could do no more than lay in pain all evening. And the next morning. And on to the next afternoon.

So that’s the story of this sandwich. And I guess this dipping sauce.

Now, we all know how to make a sandwich, so for that, I merely offer ingredients. Below you will find a recipe for honey mustard and oven fries. Both were good. Try them.

For the sandwich:

Brioche bread, toasted and buttered

Garlic or regular mayo

Bacon (I got like, real butcher bacon, and coated it in brown sugar before I broiled it. Good decision)

Roasted Turkey

Lettuce and Tomato

Is your sandwich ready?

Good.  Now, dip the sandwich in the mustard sauce. Not too much though. That’ll clear your sinuses.