The Reuben

INGREDIENTS for Thousand Island Dressing

• ½ cup mayonnaise
• ¼ cup ketchup
• ¼ cup chopped garlic dill pickles, plus 1 tablespoon pickle juice
• 2 tablespoons minced onion or shallot
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

INGREDIENTS for Sandwiches

• 8 slices pumpernickel or rye bread
• 2 pounds thinly sliced corned beef
• 2 cups sauerkraut, drained
• 8 slices Swiss cheese
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened, plus enough for the pan
• 4 garlic dill pickle spears

DIRECTIONS

For Thousand Island dressing: Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl. For each sandwich, generously slather two slices of bread with Thousand Island dressing and stack one slice of bread with ample portions of corned beef and sauerkraut and two slices of cheese. Top with the second slice of bread and lightly butter. Heat a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Working in batches if necessary, add the sandwiches buttered-side-down and cook, covered, until the bottom is crispy, 3 to 4 minutes. Lightly butter the top and flip, adding some more butter to the pan if needed. Cook, uncovered, another 3 to 4 minutes. The sandwiches should be hot all the way through, the cheese should be melted, and both sides of the sandwich should be crispy or browned. Halve the sandwiches and serve immediately, with dill pickle spears and any extra dressing on the side for dipping.