Robert Ortiz, head chef of Lima, London’s first Peruvian restaurant to win a Michelin star, gives a spicy kick to his Club Sandwich

I love a good Club Sandwich. The last time I ate one was at the Swisshotel in Zurich, but I’ve also had one in a guesthouse in Mexico’s Playa del Carmen.

I don’t think it deserves its reputation as a boring sandwich. I have seen it develop throughout the years, with chefs using different kinds of bread and making regional variations: for example, Italians might use Parma ham and mozzarella cheese.

I’ve probably made millions of Club sandwiches in the hotels I worked at in my early career. For me, a great Club sandwich has to have the combination of chicken and bacon. The bread must be fresh and toasted all over. All the ingredients should be arranged neatly and the corners cut to perfection. It should be served with skinny fries or crispy vegetables such as beetroot, potatoes or parsnips.

My Peruvian twist would use crispy pieces of suckling pig (in Peru we call it chicharron) instead of bacon, along with chicken, a creamy huancaina sauce (made with cheese and evaporated milk) and a rocoto (chilli pepper) marmalade for an extra sweet and spicy kick.

Robert’s Peruvian Club Sandwich
(Serves one)

Ingredients

1/2 large organic chicken breast 

80g of suckling pig confit, including crackling

3 slices of yellow chilli bread (if you can’t find this, any good quality bread will do), toasted

15g huancaina sauce (or mayonnaise)

6 leaves gem lettuce, stalk removed

1 large tomato, thinly sliced

1 fried egg

15g rocoto (chilli pepper) marmalade

Salsa criolla (julienne red onions, lime juice and coriander – it goes well with the crispy pork)

1 large King Edward potato in julienne strips, deep-fried

Method

1. Cook the chicken and cut into slices once cool.

2. For the crispy pork, cook the suckling pig confit in a shallow pan with enough oil to crisp the skin.

3. Toast the bread until both sides are crispy using a salamander or toaster.

4. Spread one side of the bread with huancaina sauce (or mayonnaise) and layer with two slices of chicken, three lettuce leaves, four slices of tomato, the egg and more huancaina.

5. Top with the second piece of bread, press down lightly and spread the second piece of bread with the rocoto marmalade.

6. Add the chicharron, salsa criolla and the rest of the lettuce and tomatoes. Add more rocoto marmalade if necessary and cover with the remaining slice of toasted bread.

7. Secure the sandwich with skewers and cut into four neat triangular pieces.

8. Serve with the fried julienne potatoes.

What do you think of Robert’s recipe? Have you come across a better Club Sandwich on your travels? We want to know about it!

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This article has been tagged Food + Drink, Opinion