Ultimate Bagel Sandwich

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This post is sponsored by Reese Specialty Foods. The content and opinions expressed here are my own.

This Ultimate Bagel Sandwich is a modern twist on a classic Eastern-European dish.

I was born in Brooklyn, New York as a second-generation Eastern-European American. My mother’s family was from Austria, and they brought with them many foods from back home that my mom incorporated into our diets as children. I remember shopping at a Kosher market when I was little for bagels and bialeys, herring in cream sauce, borscht, lox, and many other Eastern-European foods, and while not all of those are my favorite, I have borrowed several to create the Ultimate Bagel Sandwich, a classic breakfast with a modern spin.

Ultimate Bagel Sandwich Ingredients:

Freshly-baked bagel {no frozen bagels}
Cream cheese
Smoked salmon
Reese capers
One shallot, thinly sliced
One hard-boiled egg

Ultimate Bagel Sandwich Directions:

Sometimes the best recipes are made with the simplest ingredients. The trick is that you must master them brilliantly in order to make the dish just right. Begin by preparing a few of the ingredients in advanced. You will need one hard-boiled egg, roughly chopped. I read an Anthony Bourdain quote recently that read, “An egg in anything makes it better.” I agree. You will also need to thinly slice a shallot. Another option would be scallions or chives. It gives that little onion-y bite without overwhelming the other flavors.

The first step in assembling this recipe is choosing the right bagel. A frozen bagel just will not do. Please visit a local bakery or specialty market to purchase freshly-baked bagels. I generally prefer everything bagels, but this time, I purchased an onion bagel. Slice your bagel in half and toast it until it is just golden around the edges. Next, shmear {yes, that word is ‘shmear’, not ‘smear’} a nice layer of cream cheese on your bagel. Don’t be afraid to use a generous serving. The cream cheese is the glue that holds this bagel sandwich all together.

Now you’re going to build all your layers of flavor. Add a layer of smoked salmon. As a kid, I always thought this part was fun because it’s almost like a puzzle, fitting pieces of salmon together to cover your bagel. Then you can add the shallots and pieces of hard-boiled eggs, and of course, top with Reese capers. Check out this Ibotta offer to save on your next Reese purchase.

Capers are really the newest addition to this recipe. Growing up, we didn’t eat capers, but while traveling through Savannah in 2010, I had a bagel dish, very similar to this one, with capers as a topping, and I loved that salty little bite. It’s also a great homage to my other heritage – Sicilian. If you’ve never tried capers, they give that bright pop of flavor you’d find in a pickle or olive, but they are actually flower buds from a plant. They are delicious in pasta dishes, chicken dishes, rice dishes, and many other preparations.

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Your Ultimate Bagel Sandwich is now complete! Enjoy this sandwich open-faced or place the two halves together. I prefer open-faced. You can set this spread up as a delicious brunch buffet to entertain guests. Consider adding flavored cream cheese, like veggie or chive, sliced tomatoes, black olives, scrambled egg and other delicious toppings, too! Your guests will love assembling their own Ultimate Bagel Sandwich.