I've had these interesting-looking sandwiches on my radar for a while now. I just keep having bread and no turkey or turkey but no bread. I finally managed to have both together though, so I took the opportunity to try this slightly luxurious lunch offering.

Turkey Melts with Pickled Apples

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country February/March 2021

Ingredients

• 1 c. cider vinegar
• 5 Tbsp. honey, divided
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 apple
• 1/2 c. mayonnaise, divided
• 2 Tbsp. Roman mustard
• 2 tsp. minced fresh rosemary (or 1 tsp. dried)¹
• 8 slices bread
• 8 slices cheese (cheddar, Swiss, or a mix)
• ~400g sliced turkey (preferably smoked)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F).
2. Core and halve or quarter the apple, then slice thin.
3. Combine vinegar, 1/4 c. of the honey, and the salt and bring to a boil².
4. Remove from heat, add the apple, and let stand for 5 minutes.
5. Drain³ the apple and set aside.
6. Whisk 1/4 c. of the mayo with the mustard, rosemary, and remaining 1 Tbsp. of honey.
7. Spread 1 side of each slice of bread with the remaining 1/4 c. of mayo.
8. Place the bread mayo-side down on a baking sheet and spread with the honey-mustard mixture (you may not need all of it).
9. Place a slice of cheese on top of 4 of the bread slices and top with ~100g of turkey.
10. Divide the pickled apple amongst the 4 sandwiches, then top with remaining cheese and bread (with mayo side facing out/up and the honey-mustard side facing in/down).
11. Bake at 220°C (425°F) for 8-10 minutes, flip, return to oven and bake for another 5-8 minutes.
12. Serve with carrot sticks and/or a soup⁴ or salad of your choice.

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¹ Whoops! Just realized that I completely missed the rosemary in mine! Didn't even see it in the ingredient list until just now. Oh well... it was still delicious. But I do think it would've been even better with a bit of rosemary in the sauce. ^Back
2 The Cook's Country folks have you do this in the microwave, but, having done it that way this time, I think I'd actually prefer doing it on the stovetop in the future. Use whichever method works best for you. ^Back
3 The brine can be reused once or twice more. The ATK folks also recommend that it makes a good base for a vinegarette and that they often serve these sandwiches with a green salad. I didn't have any salad greens handy, so TF just reheated the brine, added a few more apples to it, and stuck it in the fridge for now. We've been using them to make more sandwiches when we need a quick lunch fix. Maybe I'll try using it for a salad dressing once the apples run out... ^Back
4 I think a soup featuring white beans, pumpkin, or butternut squash would go particularly well with these sandwiches. ^Back