Wednesday, September 7

What I ate: Pan Bagnat - Le French Tuna Salad Sandwich

This recipe popped right off the page as Jack and I were searching for a Nicoise Salad refresher on -what else? food52GASP! (I know, a novel idea). Honestly though, once we skimmed the recipe there was no way we could go back to our day-to-day lives without trying it out. So, we did the only thing that made sense - we made a midnight run out to the grocery store to collect the missing ingredients in anticipation of dinner the next night. 

Oh. Have I not mentioned that my favourite time to peruse recipes is late at night? 
It's the best way to make yourself snack right before bed. Try it. 


I had never heard of Pan Bagnat before but was amazed at how simple the majority of the ingredients were and how well they all mixed up together.

We began by cutting our GIANT loaf of french bread in half, removing the insides of one side to create a trough where the delicious filling will would eventually go.
Next, the veggies were diced, sliced and prepped. 
This is always the part where Jack and I begin to differ. 
He prefers big chunks of vegetable whereas I like to keep everything teeny tiny.
We compromised. 
The beans stayed chunky, the onions got diced and the rest were in-between. 


Upon reading the ingredients I would be including I knew this would be delicious.
What I didn't realize was how beautifully all vegetables would look when mixed in together with the tuna. Part of me didn't even want to eat the sandwich so I could spend a little more time looking at the filling.


Although we went to two different super markets, we could not find any basil.
(My guess is someone in the area was busy getting ready for a homemade pesto festival.)
Without the basil, the sandwich was fantastic. The flavours layered and complemented each other incredibly well - I can only imagine what the basil would have added.
Luckily, we'll definitely be making this one again so I won't have to imagine for long.



Notes:
I would definitely recommend to dice the onions 
so the flavour they add is subtle rather than overwhelming.

I only added half of the vinaigrette and didn't notice anything missing 
(although I suppose I don't really have a frame of reference).

The recipe suggests wrapping the sandwich and refrigerating it overnight, with a weight set on top. We had no intention of waiting that long and only lasted 15 minutes.
It was still perfectly delicious.

Don't eat all the bread filling you've picked out while waiting on your sandwich to be ready
...you'll end up really full.

6 comments:

  1. Yummy! I've made one of these with roasted veggies (zucchini, peppers, red onion) layered with goat cheese and basil leaves (when you can get some!). Oh and first you line the scooped out loaf with pesto. Try it some time. If you can possibly let it stand overnight you will be blown away.. I also ate most of mine within an hour of making it, but the leftovers the next day were incredible.
    Also, as a suggestion for what to do with all that leftover bread: http://tinyurl.com/337sgq9

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  2. You don't even know what you just did to me. I read your comment and then began ransacking my fridge to see if I could make your sandwich immediately. It turns out I can't but it is on the list for next week! and you've convinced me to make it in advance.

    Side note: how was your move? You will have to fill me in! Also, I'm still onboard for showcasing anything you make on here, I'd love to support you. Just let me know.

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  3. nice photos! and it looks delicious!

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  4. Pan bagnat was always my favorite backpacking meal. You could make it ahead of time, wrap it up tight, and by the time you got to the campsite you had a tasty, extremely classy dinner all ready for you. DELISH!

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  5. May I please come over for dinner?

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  6. This looks so delicious - I'll have to try it soon!

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