French Saucisson Sandwich
This sandwich was the entire reason I decided to make baguettes from scratch.
The inspiration is the wonderfully simple French combination of good bread, butter, and saucisson. There are plenty of variations, some with cornichons, some with mustard, and some that are nothing more than meat and an unapologetic amount of butter.
Mine ended up being a slightly Oregon-meets-France version.
I had Olympia Provisions Saucisson Sec from the Portland Farmers Market, my homemade whole-grain mustard, good butter, and regular sliced pickles rather than cornichons. I had also just made the baguettes from scratch, which took this from a very simple sandwich to something that felt like an event. Yes, I could have made the butter too but we’ve been tackling a ton of renovation and maintenance work on our property in Oregon so I have to hold back on my crazy a little!
Leave it to the French to teach us why good ingredients matter so much. There is no pile of lettuce or tomato, no cheese, and no complicated sauce hiding poor quality. You taste the bread. You taste the butter. You taste the saucisson. Then the mustard and pickle come through with enough acidity to cut all that richness.
Start With the Baguette
Use a good, crusty baguette. If you want to go all the way with this, make my homemade baguette recipe with an overnight poolish.
Cut off the amount you want for your sandwich and slice it lengthwise, leaving one edge intact so the baguette opens like a book. Don't hollow it out. Part of what makes this sandwich so good is the contrast between the crisp crust and chewy interior.
Don't Be Shy With the Butter
Let your butter soften enough that you can spread it without tearing the bread, then spread it generously over the inside of the baguette.
Add Whole-Grain Mustard
Spread a thinner layer of whole-grain mustard over the butter. I used my homemade mustard, which has plenty of texture and acidity without overpowering everything else.
Layer the Saucisson
Slice the saucisson sec thinly. If the casing is a thin natural casing, you can leave it on. If it is thick, fibrous, or obviously synthetic, peel it first. Arrange the slices along the baguette with each one slightly overlapping the next. I prefer this to stacking them into a thick pile because you get saucisson in every bite without making the sandwich difficult to eat.
I used Olympia Provisions Saucisson Sec from the Portland Farmers Market. It has enough flavor that there really isn't any reason to start piling additional ingredients on top of it.
Finish With Pickles
Traditionally, cornichons would be the obvious choice here. I didn't have them, so I used sliced pickles instead, and they worked beautifully. The important thing is acidity and crunch. Use a pickle that is tart rather than sweet and arrange the slices evenly over the saucisson so you get some in each bite.
Saucisson, Butter & Pickle Baguette
Makes: 2 sandwiches
Prep time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
4 to 6 tablespoons good-quality salted or cultured butter, softened
6 to 8 ounces saucisson sec, thinly sliced
2 to 3 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
Sliced dill pickles, preferably tart and not sweet
Instructions
Cut the baguette into two sandwich-size portions. Slice each lengthwise, leaving one side attached so the bread opens like a book.
Spread softened butter generously over the cut surfaces of the baguette.
Spread a thinner layer of whole-grain mustard over the butter.
Arrange the thinly sliced saucisson along the bottom half of each baguette, slightly overlapping the slices so the meat is distributed evenly.
Arrange the sliced pickles over the saucisson. Use enough to provide acidity and crunch throughout the sandwich without overwhelming the meat.
Close the baguette and press very gently to bring everything together.
Serve immediately
