NICKERSON FARMS

Open face roast beef sandwiches were a favorite of my Dad. He liked 2 pieces of bread on a dinner plate. Then spread tender roasted beef slices over the bread. Next he wanted a generous scoop of mashed potatoes (enough for 2-3 people). Then cover the whole plate with rich thick beef gravy. He would say “It is fit for a king”.  Well, it was because it was going to the King of our family!

Later we all grew to love this “sandwich” (though you eat it with a fork, so I’m not sure it qualifies under the Sandwich heading).  WE discovered the greatest restaurant in all the world on vacation when we traveled out West, an d each year, we would try to arrange our travel time so that we ended up at a Nickerson Farms in time for dinner.  It was a restaurant chain owned by the Stuckey’s Corporation.  The best food I’d ever had, and individual little loaves of hot fluffy bread served at each table, along with honey butter to go with it.  There’re no longer open, but I still miss them terribly.

Today, these type of sandwiches are called “Manhattans”, but none of them come anywhere close to Nickerson Farm!

They would put it on sandwich bread, layer the sliced beef on top of it then top with another piece of bread and pour gravy over the top, slice in half and then they would put a big scoop of Mashed Potatoes in the center of it and pour gravy over all of it.  The perfect recipe for leftovers when you’re making a roast and mashed potatoes for dinner. The key would be to get the beef sliced thin enough to work well for sandwiches. Homemade mashed potatoes made from real potatoes, butter and cream or milk would be great as well.

Nickerson Farms  made wonderful vacations eve more fun!

OPE N FACED ROAST BEEF SA DWICES

Roast Beef, sliced thin
2 Slices white bread
1/2 cupFrozen peas
3 large White potatoes, chopped into pieces           (leave the skins on)
Gravy
1/4 cupMilk / cream
2 T.Butter or margarine
Salt / pepper

Boil the potatoes til soft, roughly 20 minutes
While the potatoes boil you can boil the peas, or microwave them in a bowl with a bit of water for 3 minutes
Microwave or heat the gravy on the stove.
When the potatoes are ready, strain them well, return them to the pot and mash with the butter/margarine, milk/cream, salt and pepper
Tear up the roast beef, place it on the bread slice and microwave for 30 seconds to heat the meat and soften the bread a little
Cover everything in gravy.

MINI BREAD LOAVES

Mini loaves of bread are great with any meal.  Each person at your table has their own loaf to slice and smear with honey butter!

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon yeast or one small envelope of yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons of sugar
3-1/2 strong flourm  plus more flour for kneading the dough
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

In a large bowl, combine the water, sugar and yeast.  Let sit for about five minutes until you see the yeast starting to grow. Add the oil and salt. Stir in the flour a cup at a time.  Stir until you have a smooth thick dough.  Gradually, add more flour a little bit at a time until the dough becomes too stiff to stir. 

Dust flour over your work surface and begin kneading the dough.  Continue to gradually add flour and knead until the dough becomes smooth and elastic.   You know it is ready to let rise when you lightly press your finger on the dough and it springs back.  Form the dough into a ball.

Place a small amount of oil your mixing bowl, put the dough in the bowl and turn it around to cover it lightly with the oil.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until it doubles in size.  (Usually about an hour). 

When the dough has risen,  uncover the bowl,  punch down the dough and knead it again for a few minutes.  Divide the dough in half and form two loaves.  Place the loaves in two greased loaf pans.  (Approx.  8 inches long x 3 inches wide)   Cover the loaf pans with a piece of plastic wrap that you have lightly oiled so that the plastic won't stick to the dough as it rises in the pan.  Leave the loaves rise again for about an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Bake for about 25 minutes until the bread is golden brown and sounds hollow when you tap it.  Cool the loaves on a wire rack.  

WHIPPED HONEY BUTTER

Whip this up in no time!  Great slathered on bread, pancakes, piping hot rolls or biscuits, or just about anything.

1/2  cup butter, softened

1/4 cup honey

In small bowl, combine butter and honey. Beat at high speed until light and fluffy.

Whipped Honey Butter