I Tried the Famous Liz Lemon Sandwich from 30 Rock and It's My Ideal Lunch
From The Chappelle Show and Key & Peele to The Office, Parks and Rec and Arrested Development, the early 2000s will go down as some of the greatest years for long-standing sitcoms. Now, I have a love for all these shows, but the one show I became a fan of much later in life was 30 Rock.
Watching 30 Rock was like getting a quirky, hilarious behind-the-scenes look at the sets of all of the earlier-mentioned shows. The show had a superstar comedic cast and incredible guest stars playing outlandish characters that you couldn’t make up in your wildest dreams. But the star who really shined the brightest was Tina Fey, 30 Rock's creator who also took on the role of Liz Lemon.
Liz Lemon was a hilarious, smart, awkward and unassuming show-runner always finding herself in all sorts of hijinks and uncomfortable situations in the name of her job, the TV network, romance and—least of all—for food. Throughout a seven-season run, Liz Lemon comedically delivered many iconic moments that portrayed the realistic pleasures attainable through good eats.
Simply asking, "Did anyone cheer me, or name a sandwich after me that would maybe be turkey, pastrami, Swiss, Russian dressing, coleslaw and potato chips?" in one episode, it seemed as if Liz Lemon just needed a little recognition. And ultimately, this quote of hers inspired online content creator, Binging with Babish, to bring this Reuben remix to life.
Following Babish's guidelines, here's what happened when I attempted to make the Liz Lemon Sandwich.
Get the recipe: The Liz Lemon Sandwich
Courtesy of Dante Parker
Ingredients for the Liz Lemon Reuben Sandwich
Let me preface this by saying there’s both a long list and a short list of ingredients depending on how much time and money you have on your hands. For a comprehensive list for making everything from scratch, follow the recipe written by Babish. I opted for a streamlined version, so that's what I've reviewed here. I did opt to make my own Russian dressing and coleslaw, but these two ingredients could also be substituted for store-bought items if you wanted or needed to save some time.
Related: 38 Homemade Salad Dressing Recipes To Elevate a Basic Bowl of Greens
For the dressing, you’ll need finely chopped onions, mayonnaise, chili sauce, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, Kosher salt and paprika.
For the coleslaw, you’ll need finely chopped green cabbage, finely chopped red cabbage, shredded carrot, finely chopped dill pickle, mayonnaise, sour cream, pickle juice, white wine vinegar, horseradish, sugar, celery salt, ground black pepper and Kosher salt.
As for the assembly of the rest of the sandwich, you’ll need rye bread, Swiss cheese, potato chips and sliced turkey and pastrami.
Related: I Made The Famous 'Larry David Sandwich' and It's My New Favorite Bagel Breakfast
Courtesy of Dante Parker
How to Make the Liz Lemon Reuben Sandwich
Let’s start with the dressing. In a large bowl, add the chopped onions, mayo, chili sauce and horseradish. Also add in Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, salt and paprika. Mix it all together until combined.
In another large bowl, add in the green and red cabbage, the shredded carrot, chopped dill pickle, mayo and sour cream, pickle juice, white wine vinegar, a shake of horseradish, celery salt, kosher salt, black pepper and sugar. Mix it all together until well combined.
To assemble the sandwich, spread mayonnaise on both sides of your bread and toast each side in a frying pan. Next on one slice of bread, stack the sliced pastrami followed by some coleslaw. On the other bread slice, add the slices of Swiss cheese, sliced turkey and a generous dollop of Russian dressing. Finally, add on your potato chips—which are best placed in the middle of the sandwich. Join your two slices together to complete the sandwich. Slice in half and serve. You’re now ready to enjoy the Reuben sandwich Liz Lemon hoped to someday have named after herself.
Related: I Tried Adam Sandler's Famous 'World's Greatest Sandwich' and It's My New Favorite Lunch
Courtesy of Dante Parker
What I Thought of the Liz Lemon Reuben Sandwich
I’ve never had a Reuben sandwich before, but if I ever ordered one at a deli, I’ll be asking for the Liz Lemon rendition. I personally could have done without the coleslaw, but I will admit it does complement the Russian dressing and potato chips. And I think the potato chips might have been my favorite part of the sandwich. They provided a great crunch in between the meaty layers. The only downside to this sandwich is that it’s laborious and not ideal for a quick lunch.
Related: Dolly Parton’s Secret Ingredient for the Best-Ever Coleslaw
Tips for Making the Liz Lemon Reuben Sandwich
Buy premade coleslaw. Or, wait to make this sandwich until you have a plan on eating coleslaw throughout the week. Otherwise, you’ll be wasting two perfectly good heads of cabbage, and will have way too much coleslaw left over after adding it to your sandwich.
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