50 States Sandwich Challenge: New Hampshire

This is now the second time on this list that poor Massachusetts has had one of its staple foods claimed by another state.  I guess that just comes with the territory of breaking up the Massachusetts Bay Colony into different states.  But really, the roast beef sandwich isn't exactly native to the North Shore.  Some trace of origins of the American-style roast beef sandwich as far back as 1877, described by The Washington Post as "a true taste of South Dakota", "unattractive" and "a tired ark in a gravy flood."  So why then, would Kelly's Roast Beef in Revere, Massachusetts claim to have invented the sandwich in 1951?  Well, I suppose it's the combination of cheese and horseradish that really spruced up the 'ole tired roast beef and gravy that drove the elitist Washington Post nuts, but today, the North Shore is the place to go for a roast beef sandwich.  Everyone knows that.  So, I'm sorry New Hampshire, I'm not sure where you really come into play here other than you share the same cold, rocky beaches of the North Shore and that Kelly's is planning to open a franchise in Manchester next year.  But that's just New England for you, folks.  New Hampshire just wants to live free or die (of Massachusetts taxes) and grab a roast beef.  No shame in that game.  

Ingredients

Roast Beef

Cheddar Cheese

Horseradish 

Arugula

Brioche bun 

1. Spread horseradish on your brioche bun.

2. Mountain of roast beef on top.  Cheese, arugula, and close.  Boom you have a roast beef sandwich. 

50 States Sandwich Challenge: Nevada

 Ok, Nevada.  I'm not sure where you got the idea that the Patty Melt is yours.  The Patty Melt became commercialized as early as the 1940s as a variant of the popular cheeseburger.  The difference here? Swiss cheese, caramelized onions, and rye bread pressed on the griddle.  The closest thing to credit to the Patty Melt that exists goes to Los Angeles restauranteur Tiny Naylor who may have invented the sandwich in the 1930s.  Even if Tiny Naylor did not invent the sandwich, he did help popularize it at his restaurants: Tiny Naylor's, DuPars, and Wolfgang Puck's Granita.  There is a Dupars in the Golden Gate Resort and Casino in Las Vegas which is a hilarious stretch for the state to claim this as their state sandwich but I suppose when you are surrounded by radioactive desert, you have limited culinary items to choose from of your own.  Good for you, Vegas, always on that hustle.  

Ingredients:

1 onion

1lb Ground Beef

Rye Bread

Swiss Cheese

Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder

Butter

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter on medium-low heat and cook the sliced onions slowly over 20-25 minutes until caramelized.

2. Mix ground beef with spices and form hamburger patties. Cook the patties however you like your burgers.

3. Assemble: Bread, Cheese, Patty, Onions, Cheese, Bread and place on a buttered griddle to toast. 

4. Put $100 on black and don't look back.  

50 State Sandwich Challenge: Nebraska

 Now this one may surprise you.  You probably expected the classic Reuben sandwich to be invented in New York, which claims have been made.  But the reality is, The Reuben's beginnings can be traced back to 1920 when an Omaha grocer,  Reuben Kulakofsky, asked for a sandwich made of corned beef and sauerkraut to be served during his late-night poker games held at the Blackstone Hotel.  Reuben was a regular at the Blackstone's poker room for 15 years from 1920-1935. The sandwich gained local fame, when the owner of the Blackstone, Charles Schimmel, put the sandwich on the hotel's lunch menu, whose fame grew nationally once the recipe won a national sandwich idea contest.  Today, you can find The Reuben sandwich at almost any deli in the country as it continues to be an all-time sandwich and incredibly simple to make at home.  If you don't like corned beef or don't have any handy, you can replace it with pastrami or turkey for an entirely new sandwich experience called The Rachel.  

Ingredients: 

1lb of Corned Beef

Rye Bread

Swiss Cheese

8 oz sauerkraut 

1/4 cup of Russian Dressing

Instructions:

1. Place bread on a foiled baking sheet and distribute the corned beef on top. Put in the oven on broil for 3-4 minutes to heat up the beef.

2. Top each sandwich with sauerkraut and a slice of swiss cheese.  Return to the oven and broil for 2-3 minutes until the cheese is melted. 

3. Remove from oven and spread empty side of bread with Russian dressing.  Top the sandwich dressing side down and return to the oven to broil for another 1-2 minutes.  

4. Serve warm.