Turkey Picnic Sandwich

The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, the flowers are blooming --- what am I doing inside?  I should be dining al fresco every single day!  Oh yeah - it's 110 degrees on my back porch at dinner time.  😅 Whoever declared August as National Picnic Month obviously doesn't live in Atlanta.

Why is it that everything just tastes better when it's eaten outside? The great thing about a picnic is that you can make it super simple by picking up a pizza or a bucket of chicken and lay down a blanket down in the back yard.   Or you can go to an exotic location, find a fancy tablecloth and create a picnic that's Pottery Barn catalog worthy.  I like both kinds - and everything in between. ​

It's no mistake that we have more outdoor seating space at our house than we do indoor eating space. That's the reason that I've hosted Thanksgiving picnics, Easter dinner picnics and even birthday party picnics.  ​I have to sit people where ever I have the most seats and on most occasions, that's outside on the patio.  The only problem is that bad weather can really throw a kink in our outdoor dining plans.  ⛈

If you're looking for a great thing to serve at your next picnic, consider this Turkey Picnic Sandwich.  It's fancier than a plain old turkey sandwich on white bread but it's not so pretentious that it's going to discourage picky eaters from diving in.  I made my turkey picnic sandwich half kid friendly (cheese and turkey only) and half as the recipe is written.  I ate the half with the yummy sun-dried tomato tapenade, roasted red peppers and fresh basil and it was amazing.  I served the turkey and cheese only half to my child and she LOVED it.  

Turkey Picnic Sandwich
Sandwich
1 pizza dough
1 teaspoon olive oil
4 ounces provolone Cheese
8 ounces thinly sliced deli turkey
1/4 cup fresh basil
1 1/4 cups roasted red peppers, drained and patted dry

Spread
3/4 cup olive oil packed sun dried tomatoes, drained and patted dry
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
6 Tablespoons olive oil

Shape pizza dough into a  7" square on a silpat lined baking sheet.  

Brush the top of dough with oil  Preheat oven to 425.  

Bake 11-13 minutes.  Cool completely.  

Process spread ingredients in food processor until finely chopped.  

Slice bread in half horizontally.  

Spread tomato mixture on both halves of bread.  

Layer cheese, turkey, basil and red peppers on sandwich.  

Top sandwich with second bread.  Wrap tightly in plastic wrap.  

Place dutch oven on top of sandwich to press and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.  

Unwrap sandwich and cut into 4 pieces. 

In the interest of full disclaimer, we ate this Turkey Picnic Sandwich at the kitchen table.  Technically, I guess that doesn't constitute a picnic but it beat the alternative of sweating over my sandwich while battling this oppressive summer heat wave that we're currently experiencing.   I do plan to make this sandwich again in a month or so when we can actually take it outside and enjoy it in true picnic fashion.

​Ciao! 

Click here for a printable version of this recipe