- 3 cups thinly sliced onion
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup drained sauerkraut
- 1/2 Granny Smith apple, grated coarse
- 3 tablespoons water
- unsalted butter, softened, for buttering bread
- 8 large 1/2-inch-thick slices rye bread
- 1 large garlic clove, halved
- 1 large dill pickle, sliced paper-thin
- 3/4 pound thinly sliced chilled cooked corned beef (about half a cooked 3 1/2-pound corned beef; recipe follows)
- 1 cup coarsely grated Swiss cheese
- mustard as an accompaniment
- a 3-to 4-pound corned beef brisket
- In a large heavy skillet cook onion in oil over moderate heat, stirring, until golden. Stir in sauerkraut and apple and cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Stir in water and salt and pepper to taste and transfer to a bowl. Mixture keeps, covered and chilled, 1 week.
- Preheat broiler.
- Butter one side of bread slices. On a baking sheet set 4 inches from heat broil both side of bread until toasted lightly. Rub buttered side of each toast with garlic. Arrange 4 toasts, garlic side up, on a baking sheet and divide pickle and corned beef among them. Top beef with onion mixture and cheese and broil under broiler about 4 inches from heat until cheese is melted. Top sandwiches with remaining toasts, garlic side down, and halve.
- Serve sandwiches with mustard.
- In a kettle combine beef with cold water to cover by 2 inches and bring water just to a boil, skimming froth. Simmer beef, covered, 3 hours, or until tender. Remove kettle from heat and let beef stand in cooking liquid 20 minutes. Transfer beef to work surface and trim fat. Use beef as part of a boiled dinner and/or for making corned beef on rye and/or corned beef hash. Corned beef keeps, covered and chilled, 4 days.