First I had to select a bread. Regular, or maybe old-fashioned white bread? A hearty multigrain? Sub rolls? I found a bag of some nice Portuguese rolls on the day old rack. Absolutely the right choice. Portuguese rolls are a little shorter and wider than a hoagie roll, lighter density than Italian bread, with a dry floury crust.
Now let's get to the meat of the matter. I hit the deli counter and ordered up a half pound of the store-brand rare roast beef, sliced thin. But don't let them slice it too thin if the grain does not allow, or it will wind up more like a pile of chipped beef. A good deli will shave off a slice to let you have a look, and a taste if you like. I didn't wind up using the whole half pound, but if you are making sandwiches for more than just yourself, you will want to order more of course.
Just about any sandwich ever invented goes better with cheese, and this one is no exception. I went with Finlandia brand imported Swiss. Dense and sour but not too much stank like you would get on a creamier Lorraine Swiss. Normally I like to get the cheese sliced thick, especially a softer cheese like American, but I went a little thinner with this since it has a more “stretchy” consistency like some mozzarella.
From the deli counter I hit the produce section and picked up a white onion, white mushrooms, and a nice vine-ripened tomato. Next, I hit the spice rack for a little jar of chipotle powder. The star of the show on the sandwich I got at the sub shop the other day was the chipotle mayo. You can pick up some ready-made flavored mayos these days right off the shelf, but I don't really see the need for that. I can mix it myself and use the chipotle powder in other recipes as well. For mayo, I am a loyal Hellman's man.
As soon as I got home I got right to it and chopped up the onion, then threw it in a frying pan with some canola oil on high heat. Instead of stirring constantly like I would for caramelized onions, I let them sit on the heat and start to stick a little to get some browning toasty action. I didn't cook them down too much either and pulled them from the heat before they got too soft or started getting gelatinous.
Next I fried the mushrooms. You could get away with doing the mushrooms and onions together probably, but I wanted everything jusssst right. So, I fried the mushrooms separately in some butter rather than canola. The delicate taste and texture of mushrooms are more sensitive to the oil you cook them in, and taking in a butter flavor is preferable I think to other cooking oils.
Go ahead and slice open two rolls and lay them on a toaster-oven rack face open. Next, use a nice wide knife or spatula (not a pancake turner, an actual spatula) to give a nice smear of mayo on each face of the rolls. Over the mayo give a light dusting of chipotle. It's a little spicy and very smokey, so you have to be a bit careful in order to not overpower the other flavors in your sandwiches.
Next we are going to lay on a few slices of the rare roast beef to one face of each sandwich. Don't just lay them flat though. You want to sort of “fluff” the meat the way they do at a good sandwich shop to make the sandwich look thicker. Bunch it up a little, use your wrist to give it a little twist. Actually, the technique helps give the sandwich a sort of “independent suspension,” keeps the innerts from sliding around so much when you finally put it all together, and actually gives the sandwich a nicer density to bite into.
On the opposite faces lay down a layer of your chopped fried onion, and some of your fried mushrooms spaced out nicely. I folded over a slice of the Swiss cheese to get four strips. Lay down two at bit of a hash-mark angle over the meat, two more over the mushrooms and onion, then repeat for your second sandwich.
I had to squeeze them in a little, but the two sandwiches just fit into the toaster oven. Bake at 425-450 degrees for maybe 3-5 minutes. Keep a close eye on it. Once the cheese is melted down well, the bread should be nice and crispy at the edges and over the crust, but you don't want it to turn to dust either by over doing it. You want the roll to still be soft inside when you finally take a bite. But, we are not quiiite there yet. While the sandwiches were toasting, I sliced my tomato nice and thin. When you pull out your sandwiches form the oven, slip on a few ripe red slices, and fold the Doppelgangers closed. And yes, you must have two or it is not a Doppelganger. So if you're a light eater, bring a friend.
Warm, toasty, smoky, spicy, rich, a little sweet, a little pungent, with stretching gooey cheese that might get caught on your chin, so bring a napkin! Enjoy.
For your grocery list you will need: Portuguese rolls, deli-sliced rare roast beef, deli-sliced imported Swiss cheese, a white onion, sliced white mushrooms, a ripe red tomato, mayonnaise, and chipotle powder.
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