The Hunger Squad

“POTUS Sandwich” is a monthly post where we share a sandwich inspired by a President of the United States. Each post will share a sandwich idea, garnished with a bit of history.

The Thomas Jefferson

Using the Louisiana Purchase as an inspiration, we made a shrimp sandwich on French bread with some homemade Cajun sauce for the Thomas Jefferson. This one took a bit longer to make, as the shrimp had to be tailed and de-veined and the sauce had to be made from scratch, but it’s well worth it. 

The Louisiana Purchase was made in 1803 and effectively doubled the size of the United States. France had initially planned on using the Louisiana territory and Haiti to spread their empire in the Americas but when Haiti revolted and it seemed that war with England was coming France was forced to change their plans. To fund the impending war Napoleon sold the Louisiana territory to the United States at a cost of less than 3 cents per acre, totaling $15 million. The United States originally only wanted to purchase the port of New Orleans and the area around it and were prepared to pay $10 million for that but readily accepted when France offered the entire territory.

Ingredients

• French bread
• Shrimp
• Mayonnaise
• Ketchup
• Dijon mustard
• Fresh parsley
• Cayenne pepper
• Lemon
• Horseradish
• Garlic cloves
• Worcestershire sauce
• Celery seeds
• Paprika
• Salt
• Fish pepper
• Black pepper
• Butter
• Lettuce

Directions

Cajun sauce

1. Put 1 cup of mayonnaise in a bowl.
2. Add 2 tablespoons of ketchup.
3. Add 2 tablespoons of dijon mustard
4. Chop 1 tablespoon of fresh parsley and add it to the bowl.
5. Add 1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper. If you don’t like your food spicy, consider only adding 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
6. Juice the lemon. Add one tablespoon of the lemon juice to the bowl, set the rest aside for now.
7. Add 2 teaspoons of horseradish.
8. Mince 2 garlic cloves and add them to the bowl. 
9. Add 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce.
10. Add 1 teaspoon of celery seeds.
11. Add 1 teaspoon of paprika.
12. Add a pinch of salt. 
13. Stir all the ingredients together.

Shrimp

1. Defrost the shrimp, tail and de-vein them if necessary. 
2. Add the remaining lemon juice to the shrimp.
3. Dice a few fish peppers. Note: Fish peppers are probably impossible to purchase in stores. I grew my own. They taste a bit like hot bell peppers, adding spiciness to food without overpowering the taste of whatever you’re adding them to. If you can’t get fish peppers, skip this step and instead use red pepper flakes.
4. Preheat a pan on the stove on medium-high with oil and the diced fish peppers.
5. Once the pan is heated add the shrimp.
6. While the shrimp are cooking, add a dash of black pepper and a pad of butter.
7. Set the shrimp aside once they’re cooked.

French bread

1. Set your oven to 200F or warm. 
2. Put the loaf in the oven. We’re not toasting the bread here, just heating it up. If you have the oven set to warm you can probably leave the loaf in there until you’re ready to use it.

Finishing up

1. Remove the bread from the oven.
2. Slice the loaf in half horizontally but do not cut completely through. Leave the two halves attached. 
3. Spread the cajun sauce on the inside of the bread.
4. Place lettuce inside the bread.
5. Place shrimp inside the bread. 
6. Cut the loaf into the appropriate number of sandwiches. 
7. Enjoy!

Note: That’s a red cabbage cole slaw I made as a side. 

“POTUS Sandwich” is a monthly post where we share a sandwich inspired by a President of the United States. Each post will share a sandwich idea, garnished with a bit of history.

The John Adams

We made a croque-monsieur, a French sandwich with grilled cheese, ham, and Béchamel sauce, for the John Adams. Being essentially a grilled ham and cheese sandwich, it was quick and easy to make and tasted delicious. 

For John Adams we decided on a French sandwich given that many of the more notable events in his term as president involved interactions with France. In 1798, there was the XYZ Affair, in which French government agents demanded payment from the United States (in the form of both formal loans and unofficial bribes) in return for the continuance of diplomatic relations. This was publicized, upsetting both nations and leading to the undeclared Quasi-War between the navies of the United States and France. The Convention of 1800 settled the matter and ended the conflict.

Ingredients

• Italian bread
• Gruyére cheese
• Ham
• Dijon mustard
• Butter
• Flour
• Milk
• Salt
• Pepper
• Nutmeg

Directions

Béchamel sauce 

1. Melt 2 tbsp butter in a saucepan on low heat. 
2. Once the butter is melted, whisk in 2 tbsp flour. 
3. When the butter-flour mixture is smooth, pour in a cup of milk. 
4. When that mixture is smooth, turn off the heat and add 1/4 cup of grated gruyére. 
5. Add a pinch of salt, pepper, and nutmeg, then stir.

“POTUS Sandwich” is a monthly post where we share a sandwich inspired by a President of the United States. Each post will share a sandwich idea, garnished with a bit of history.

The George Washington

For the ‘George Washington’ we decided to go with a grilled trout sandwich on sourdough bread. The trout was prepared with sage, thyme, dill, lemon, ham, salt, and pepper. The sourdough was seasoned with butter, garlic salt, red pepper flakes, and then grilled as well. 

We decided on a trout sandwich for Washington as trout can be caught in the Delaware river, which George Washington memorably crossed on Christmas of 1776 before the Battle of Trenton. While uncustomary, the trout was prepared with a bit of Virginia ham on it to commemorate his citizenship of that state.

—-

—-

Ingredients

• Rainbow trout
• Ham
• Sage
• Thyme
• Dill
• Salt
• Pepper
• Sourdough bread
• Butter
• Garlic salt
• Red pepper flakes
• Olive oil

Directions

Trout

1. Lay the trout fillet on a sheet of lightly-oiled aluminum foil.
2. Place the sage, thyme, dill, and lemon on top of the trout.
3. Tear the ham into small pieces and place it on top of the trout.
4. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. 
5. Wrap the fillet in the aluminum foil and place on grill.

Looking for a way to add some variety to your burger experience? “The Burger Lab” is a monthly post in burger exploration. Each post will profile a burger recipe that aims to break up the monotonous lettuce, cheese, and tomato we’ve all become accustomed to. If you have suggestions for burger ingredients, be sure to drop us a line.

The Goat Cheese Bacon Burger

• Ground beef patties mixed with chopped applewood bacon
• Goat Cheese
• Sautéed mushrooms and onions
• Red leaf lettuce
• Potato Bun 

The Rolling Ficelle is just over a year old but has already become a staple amongst the many food trucks DC has to offer. The truck offers six gourmet sandwiches (each $6.95) on soft baguettes called ficelles named after some of Europe’s most famous abstract artists. In addition to fresh ingredients like thin slices of prosciutto, spicy cherry pepper relish, aged provolone and mortadela cheeses; The Rolling Ficelle uses freshly baked bread from Lyon Bakery in Silver Spring, Maryland. 

If you aren’t feeling a sandwich, The Rolling Ficelle also offers freshly squeezed lemonade ($2) and a salad dubbed “the Frida” (6.95), which includes watermelon, jicama, baby spinach and a house-made chipotle- Thousand Island dressing. However, the menu has a tendency to change with the seasons and many of the offerings are unique to the season.

I ended up going with the De Kooning Ficelle (pictured above), which is made with roast beef, provolone cheese, tomato, crushed cherry pepper relish, and topped with a horseradish mayonnaise. Everything about the sandwich was fresh. The veggies had a crunch to them and the provolone/hoseradish melded with the roast beef perfectly. Did I mention the bread? The bread is fantastic.

5/5

To find out if The Rolling Ficelle is visiting a neighborhood near you, follow them on Facebook and Twitter. 

Cheers!