JR is on the swim team this summer. That means that, in addition to daily practice after camp, he has weekly meets that start around 5 pm and end, well, end several hours later if we’re lucky. Zuzu does the swim team during the school year. Those meets start at 6 am and end, well, end several hours later — if we’re lucky. Our mistake, plainly, was signing our kids up for a sport than has “meets” versus “games.” I hope that you are able to avoid this same fate.
Swim meets that last for hours right around dinner time call for easy-to-prepare picnic fare. Sure, we could cobble dinner together from the swim club snack bars except that Combos and Good Humor bars are not my idea of dinner. (JR begs to differ.) I prefer to pack some sandwiches, a side salad and containers of fresh fruit into an insulated bag packed with cold packs and carry it along to the swim meet. I may be stuck there for hours, usually timing one of the lanes, but at least we eat well.
When the swim meet is canceled due to storms, we move the picnic inside.
Even if you are not a swim team parent, my guess is that you will have some occasion to pack a picnic this summer, be it an outdoor concert, a baseball game or other casual outdoor event. So, here are some of my favorites ideas for picnic fare.
First, roast beef and cheddar sandwiches on ciabatta. These are not your tired lunchbox roast beef sandwiches. With rustic ciabatta rolls, Cabot Creamery Garlic and Herb Cheddar and fresh baby greens, these are gourmet-picnic-basket roast beef sandwiches. I like to add horseradish mayo to mine, but my husband is a rabid mayonnaise hater, so I use a coarse-grained mustard for his. That’s a good option if your sandwiches will be outside without refrigeration for an extended period – no risk of spoilage.
I highly recommend this potato salad recipe for all your outdoor eating occasions because it also does not contain mayonnaise and therefore is less likely to spoil. As a potato salad lover with an mayo-phobic spouse, I have become quite the expert in potato salads dressed with vinaigrettes. While my favorite food in the world is still my grandmother’s traditional potato salad with mayonnaise and apple cider vinegar dressing, this one also holds a place in my heart. I like to use fresh shallots, which I find at the farmers market at this time of year, for their mild flavor. If you cannot find fresh shallots, feel free to substitute red onion.
Look for fresh shallots at farmers markets.
Happy picnicking!
- For the sandwiches:
- 4 ciabatta rolls split in half
- 4 TB coarse-grained mustard
- 12 slices rare roast beef
- Salt
- 12 slices Cabot Creamery Garlic and Herb Cheddar
- 1 cup baby greens such as arugula or Mizuna
- For the potato salad:
- 28 oz. mixed baby potatoes
- 1 cup chopped fresh shallots or red onion
- 1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 tsp. coarse-grained mustard
- ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar plus more for sprinkling
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Pinch sugar
- Salt and pepper to taste
- To make the sandwiches, spread one tablespoon of coarse-grained mustard on the top and bottom of one of the rolls. Place three slices of roast beef on the bottom of the roll and season with salt. Top the roast beef with three slices of cheddar. Add ¼ cup greens on top of the cheddar and cover with top of roll. Repeat with the remaining three rolls.
- For the potato salad, place the potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with cold, salted water.
- Bring water to a boil, then turn down heat and simmer until potatoes are cooked through, ten to twenty minutes depending on size.
- Drain potatoes and poke with a fork or knife. Sprinkle vinegar over the hot potatoes.
- As soon as potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut into bite-sized pieces and place in a large serving bowl.
- In a smaller bowl, whisk together the mustard, sugar and vinegar.
- While whisking, slowly add the olive oil to the mustard and vinegar mixture to create an emulsion.
- Pour the dressing over the still-warm potatoes and add the parsley and shallots.
- Toss to combine and season with salt and pepper.
I want that sandwich for lunch…right now! It looks totally delicious.
I’m very picky about roast beef. I’ll only buy it if it’s nice and rare! The Garlic and Herb Cheddar is the perfect pairing with it!