Russian Dressing

Russian dressing is a type of salad dressing that is also used as a topping for sandwiches and burgers; and it is a fundamental ingredient in the Reuben sandwich and the New Jersey Sloppy Joe. Russian dressing has a tangy flavor and creamy texture similar to Thousand Island dressing, but chili sauce and horseradish makes it spicier.

Like many condiments, there pros and cons in deciding between homemade and store-bought; but, in the case of Russian dressing, “availability” is the condition that typically trumps them all.  Thousand Island seems to be everywhere, but it is not a good substitute to use in classic sandwiches.  On the other hand, Russian dressing is a product that is bottled and sold, but it’s not on the shelves in many stores; so homemade is less time-consuming than hunting down a bottle.

My son, Jacob, has a hybrid solution.  When he makes a Reuben, he buys Thousand Island dressing and doctors it up by mixing it with horseradish, pickle relish and cayenne.  I love this ingenuity, and it warrants an “A” for effort.  However, it’s worth recognizing that “effort” is the key word here: it doesn’t take any more effort to make real Russian dressing than it takes to make faux Russian dressing from bottled Thousand Island. (Also, Jacob, if you’re reading this, I have to toss out a 3/4 full bottle of Thousand Island every time you go back to school.)

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assembly text here: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

assembly gallery here

Notes:

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Equipment that I used:

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