A Shooter's Sandwich Is Like Beef Wellington Without All The Work

How to prepare a shooter's sandwich

There are numerous variations of this sandwich, but this is the traditional version. For the bread, opt for a whole, crusty loaf — cut off the top and hollow out a substantial amount of the interior. Similar to beef Wellington, you'll need mushroom duxelles, which consists of sautéed mushrooms and shallots, enhanced with cream and a spirit like brandy. Additionally, you'll want the classic sharp condiments of mustard and horseradish.

For the beef, beef tenderloin is often considered the ideal cut for beef Wellington due to its tenderness, though some recipes recommend fattier and more flavorful cuts like ribeye. Regardless, the key difference here is that you'll cook the steak separately, unlike in Wellington, where all the components are assembled and baked together.

Once everything is assembled, you need to wrap and compress it for several hours until it becomes compact. There’s no one right way to do this, but a practical approach is to place something flat, like a cutting board or baking tray, on top of the sandwich and weigh it down with something heavy—books, a bag of potatoes, or whatever you have on hand. This pressing time allows the flavors to meld into the bread and may give the outer layer a more pastry-like texture by compressing the bread to reduce its fluffiness. However, the primary reason for flattening likely traces back to its origins: to make it smaller and easier to carry on traditional shooting trips or any other adventure of your choice.