Pan Bagnat - French Pressed Sandwich
For an easy dinner or packable picnic meal, enjoy a pan bagnat! This French pressed sandwich is Nicoise salad on a baguette, full of jarred tuna, vegetables, and basil, drizzled with a tangy vinaigrette.
Servings 4
Calories 625kcal
Ingredients
Dressing
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp capers
- 1 small clove garlic, finely minced or grated
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 oil packed anchovy (or 1 tsp anchovy paste), finely chopped, optional
Sandwich
- 3 eggs
- 1 baguette, or similar long loaf
- 1 6-oz jar oil packed tuna, drained
- 1 6-oz jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and sliced
- 1/2 cup pitted kalamata (or nicoise) olives
- 1 medium tomato, seeded and sliced
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1 small cucumber, sliced
- 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Dressing: In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, capers, garlic, salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Eggs: Set up a pot with a steamer insert and a bowl of ice water. Fill the pot with some water and bring to a boil. Add eggs to steamer, cover, and cook for 9-12 minutes (depending on how firm you want the yolks). Transfer the eggs to the ice water and cool. When cool, peel and slice.
- Sandwich: Cut baguette in half. Layer on all the filling ingredients - tuna, artichoke, olives, tomato, basil, cucumber, onion, and eggs. Drizzle over the dressing.
- Press: Wrap the sandwich tightly in plastic wrap, foil, or wax paper. Place a heavy weight on top. Press the sandwich for 20 minutes to 1 hour. If not eating immediately, keep wrapped and refrigerated until you are ready to serve, up to 8-10 hours.
- Serve: Unwrap, slice, and eat.
Notes
- Garlic: To grate the garlic I use a microplane.
- Bread: Choose a loaf which is fairly wide. Too skinny a loaf and all the toppings fall off.
- Pressing: I like to use a cutting board as a flat surface and then pile heavy items, such as cast iron skillets on top.
- Filling Ideas: You can use all sorts of tender vegetables in the recipe, either in place of the ones I chose or in addition. Some ideas are: thinly sliced radishes, thin blanched green beans, sliced bell peppers (raw or roasted), other olives, parsley.
- Tip: If you need more room for the filling (such as if the crumb of your bread is quite firm), scoop out some of the crumb to make a well.
Nutrition
Calories: 625kcal