French Tuna Sandwich/Pan Bagnat

One of my favorite Food TV programs is Alton Brown's Good Eats. It's a cooking show for geek basically. Not the recipes themselves per se, no, but the break down of the process and the techniques used are very precise and explained scientifically.

Anyway, one show last year was about sandwiched. He had done several in the program as I remember but the one that stuck for me was Pan Bagnat, a French Tuna fish sandwich from the Nice Province.

This is a nice tuna sandwich for people who don't like Mayo and Tuna. It combines all the things I love in one sandwich, and it's French, so... Oh là là.

French Tuna Sandwich/Pan Bagnat

Ingredients

• 1 crusty Batard (French loaf, non-baguette), approximately 16 to 18 inches long
• 12 ounces canned tuna packed in oil or water, drained and crumbled
• 1 small green pepper, sliced into rings
• 1 small red onion, sliced into rings
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
• 1 cup chopped kalamata olives
• 1 tomato, thinly sliced
• 2 table spoons balsamic vinaigrette
  

Directions

• Horizontally slice the French loaf into 2 pieces.
• Tear out some of the soft bread in the center of each side, making a slight well in the bread.
• Place the tuna, green pepper, red onion, hard-boiled eggs, olives, and tomato on the bottom side of the bread in that order.
• Drizzle the vinaigrette over the vegetables, top with the second piece of bread, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap.
• Let stand at room temperature for 2 hours before serving.

Notes:

• Use the palm of your hand, thumb up, placed firmly on the loaf to hold the bread steady as you cut the length of the loaf with a knife.
• I found using Burgundy Olives is nicer than black olives.
• If you don't have extra wide cling-film, make a big sheet by putting tow together slightly overlapping side-by-side. Or, section the sandwich and wrap individuals.
• I take the boiled egg on the side.
• 2 Tbsps of vinaigrette is a general rule, apply as desired.
• I followed the wrong order in picture. Alton had his reasons, but the sandwich doesn't exist for very long after it is made, so...

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