A delicious farmer’s market find tops this Dijon Pan Bangat sandwich. It’s rich, delicious, and packed with flavor. Perfect for picnics, pan bagnat need time to “marinate” before eating.

So, we went to this new farmer’s market at Potomac Mills. I read it was large with lots of vendors. Not when we were there. It took longer to drive there than to see all the vendors.

However, while we were there, we stopped at a booth that had dressing. Senator Ben’s Dressing to be exact. It was 9 in the morning, but still we sampled the delicious dressing. It’s a Parmesan and Dijon dream!

Senator Ben M. Williamson was a US Senator for Kentucky. He served for short time. But he did so much in that short time. Senator Williamson is responsible for the first federal aid for roads granted in Kentucky. Trust me when I say this is much needed in some parts.

He was also busy in his home state of Kentucky. Ben was one of the founders of the Kentucky Crippled Children’s Commission. He was director of the International Society for Crippled Children. He was also a board member for charities and correction for the State of Kentucky.

In his spare time, he made dressing.

It was a family recipe that the family passed down to all the Ben’s. There’s four that I know of, maybe more by now. Anyway, Ben the third decided to take the dressing that they passed down and named it after the original Ben. And that’s how Senator Ben’s Dijon Parmesan Dressing & Marinade came to be.

Now, those that pay attention know I’m from Kentucky. So, I feel like it’s sort of fated that we stumbled on this dressing. And my dad probably knows the name, but don’t quote me on that one.

Either way, the dressing was so delicious we actually bought a bottle, obviously. It reminds me of a Caesar dressing combined with a Dijon vinaigrette. I used it for dressing, a marinade for pork kabobs, and this pan bagnat.

I don’t know why I thought the pan bagnat would be delicious. Other than the fact that I usually put a Dijon vinaigrette on my pan bagnat sandwiches. They were so good I made them twice. I’ve made pan bagnat sandwiches twice now for the blog. If you haven’t made them, you need to. They’re so good.

For mine, I put a bottom layer of lettuce. I don’t want the bottom piece of bread to get too soggy. Then I layer some tomato, cucumber, red onion, sometimes some marinated artichokes, roasted red peppers, kalamata olives, sliced hard boiled eggs, tuna, and dressing. It’s sort of like a Niçoise salad on bread minutes the potatoes and green beans.

They’re the ultimate picnic sandwich because they must “marinate” overnight in the fridge. The bread gets to soak up the dressing. The vegetables marinate in the dressing, too. It all just gets to party and combine to make the most amazing party in your mouth.

They’re hearty enough for dinner, too!

I love them. I make them all the time for lunch on the weekends. Especially if I have the fancy tuna hanging around. I got to try some ultra-fancy tuna in this Aglio e Olio with Tuna. This tuna is definitely worth the price for a sandwich like this.

Of course, if you don’t want to spend THAT much on tuna, then grab the solid white albacore tuna. To me, that’s the next best thing. Maybe experiment with a can in oil instead of water. It is super rich and delicious which is perfect for this sandwich.

The more you pack on, the better this tastes! I try to put everything on this sandwich sometimes. Of course, that requires a much larger bread than a baguette. Maybe a ciabatta? Or a French loaf? Either way, this is one hearty and delicious sandwich. From the farm fresh eggs to the sun ripened tomatoes, crispy cucumbers, spicy red onions, and Dijon Parmesan Dressing & Marinade.

Just look at those layers. Full of so much crisp, fresh produce, rich tuna, and Dijon Parmesan Dressing & Marinade. It’s like, if you could put summer in a sandwich, this would be it. It highlights so much that is fresh and delicious. If you have fresh tuna on hand instead of canned, then by all means use it, too!

We have a vendor at our local market that sells fresh frozen fish from Alaska. We’ve had black cod, halibut, and a few other cuts. One of these days I’ll get the cod cheeks because they sound awesome. We have had their tuna and it is fabulous. Their fish is definitely worth the money and worth the stop if you’re in the area.

As you can see, I’ve used sliced and cherry tomatoes. There’s lettuce, marinated artichoke hearts, roasted peppers, eggs, and tuna in this shot. The following image shows you layers in that recipe. It honestly has so many variations.

The basics are the same. There’s always tuna, hard boiled eggs, and vinaigrette. The rest of of eh ingredients change based on your preferences. Don’t like egg? I’m sorry. You really should have egg, but if you don’t like it, then that’s okay, too!

Skip the onions, olives, peppers, artichokes. Just make sure you only remove one or 2 ingredients. Otherwise, it’s a completely different sandwich all together.

But, for the most part, you should stick to these layers. 

• lettuce
• tomato
• cucumber
• red onion
• marinated artichokes
• roasted red peppers
• kalamata olives
• hard boiled eggs
• tuna
• dressing

Make sure you check out what everyone else served up today.  Everything looks completely delicious all week!  I’m sure today will be no exception. 

How do you stack your pan bagnat?

 

Thanks Ellen from Family Around the Table and Christie from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures for hosting our Farmer’s Market Event!

Thursday Farmer’s Market Week Recipes

• Blueberry Mug Cake by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Dijon Pan Bagnat by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Late Summer Trail Mix by The Freshman Cook
• Mini Peach Parfaits by Intelligent Domestications
• Pecan Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread by Kate’s Recipe Box
• Shrimp & Corn Salad with Chesapeake Seasoning by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Smoky Grilled Corn Salsa by Jolene’s Recipe Journal