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Thursday, June 12, 2014

Marshall Field's Special Sandwich

The Walnut Room, Marshall Field's Special 
Sandwich. Memories of a truly amazing 
department store on Chicago's State Street.
It was always a wonderful place to go for 
lunch. Sadly, Fields is no longer, but you can
 still make their signature sandwich
The 'sandwich' is in fact a mountainous, delightful 
salad. It's no longer served at the new 'Macy's, 
so here's a step-by-step way to assemble them. 
This is a great use for after-Thanksgiving turkey 
or whenever you have leftover turkey breast.
 Butter one slice of good fresh rye bread. 
(I used 2 smaller pieces.)
 Lay on Swiss cheese.
Add a few turkey slices then 
top with some iceberg lettuce slices.
 Top with a large outer leaf to create a dome.
The Marshall Field sandwich had a huge dome
of lettuce on top. I've cut it back a bit.
 Top with a few more turkey slices.
 Spoon on good, preferably homemade 1000 Island
Dressing. Top with crisp bacon slices, hardboiled 
egg slices and tomato slices. Add a  sprig of
 parsley or basil to the top.  
 Layers of deliciousness! 
A little bite of everything on my fork. 
Marshall Field's Special Sandwich
Ingredients:
Iceberg lettuce
Turkey, thinly sliced
1000 Island Dressing, my easy homemade recipe HERE
Swiss cheese
Fresh good rye bread
Butter, softened
Bacon, 2 sliced cooked
Slice if hardboiled egg
Slice of tomato
How To Assemble:
1. Butter the rye bread and place on large plate.
2. Cover bread with Swiss cheese slice.
3. Next add 1 or 2 thin slices of turkey to cover.
4. Remove the large outer leaves from the lettuce
    and set aside.
5. Slice the some of the remaining lettuce into a
    few large sections and arrange a section on top
    of the turkey and Swiss cheese.
6. Cover the open-face 'sandwich' with the big
     outer lettuce leaf.
7. Top that leaf with several slices of turkey,
8. Spoon an ample amount of 1000 dressing over
     the top, allowing it to drizzle down the sides.
9. Add the bacon slices, criss-cross on top.
10. Add tomato slice and egg slice, top mound
      with a parsley sprig.
Serve immediately.
Enjoy!


23 comments:

  1. Oh, how I miss Marshall Fields and their Walnut Room! Nothing else quite like it. Thanks for sharing.

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    Replies
    1. We still makes these every year after Thanksgiving & Christmas both. Then have to wait a whole year.

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    2. I buy thick cut turkey from the deli and the turn out fabulous. Rather have the turkey leftovers but I cannot wait an entire year for these!

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  2. Rita, this looks scrumptious!! Nothing better than a combination salad/sandwich. :) You truly have some of my favorite ingredients in this, and to top it off, my very favorite salad dressing! Thanks for sharing -- I've already pinned this. :)

    Denise

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  3. Yum! my list of your delicious recipes to try, and helpful household hits, is growing! xo

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  4. It still breaks my heart that Marshall Fields is gone. I still have my 'Forever Marshall Fields' button on my bulletin board. My mother and I would shop at the State Street store and then catch tea there before we left. I loved you sharing the recipe. I will definitely make it and live in the memories of that great store.

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  5. Thank you so much for this recipe. My late mother and I would always have this sandwich while shopping in Chicago. One year, the waitress accidentally dropped Mother's sandwich face down on the table when serving it. When my mom looked up, she had thousand island dressing all over the lens of her glasses which invoked gales of laughter from both of us. I thought we were going to be escorted out before it was all over.

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  6. This looks great, but not enough lettuce. I worked at Marshall Field's as a waitress and often helped in the kitchen at the Old Orchard store during the 1970's. There was one piece of bread, then turkey and cheese. A dome of lettuce, almost half a head, a ladle of dressing, the garnish of tomato, egg, and black olive held in with a tooth pick. If I recall correctly, 2 strips of bacon at the sides on the bottom of the plate.

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  7. Do you have the recipe for
    THE LITTLE RED HEN from the Walnut room? I really miss that one!

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    Replies
    1. I am dying for that recipe too! Loved the little red gen as a kid!

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    2. Follow the Better Homes cookbook chicken croquette recipe. To that roux recipe, add freshly grated nutmeg. To me the nutmeg is the essential ingredient to reproduce the flavor of the Little Red Hen, and I think that was from the Nacissus room, not the Walnut room. Best wishes ! Lukeaggie

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  8. Great News! The Walnut Room is still there and they are still making the Marshall Field Special Sanwhich. I was there last Christmas with my daugher.

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  9. Brings back such memories!! Thanks for sharing! My mom loved it there!

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  10. You forgot the ham. My mother visited Marshall Fields for years.use leftover turkey an ham.

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  11. My mother used to make and serve the Fields Sandwich when she had ladies luncheons. I loved those days, and miss Marshall Fields.

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  12. Guess I'm older than all of you.
    The original Fields sandwich included roast beef and ham.

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    Replies
    1. I don't recall the roast beef but there definitely was ham along with the turkey.

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