I’ve mentioned before in some of my posts that soggy bread is my worst enemy. It’s disgusting. It’s not like I want my sandwich to be bone-dry, I just don’t want a layer of mush surrounding my filling.

Here are a few good ways to avoid soggy bread. The most obvious one is toast your bread/bun/pita whatever you use, to make sure there’s a crunch and moisture isn’t automatically absorbed into its softness. The next is to spread thick sauce on the inner part of the bun; for this recipe I use gourmet mustard and chipotle mayo. If you don’t have gourmet mustard, I wouldn’t use “yellow mustard” because it’s really sharp and sort of artificial tasting. I’d replace it with horseradish or some other sandwich spread you like.

I found this one brand of mustard at St. Lawrence Market one time called Kozlik’s and I will never go back to buying regular again. The stand they had set up lets you try a bunch of different kinds with pretzel sticks and they have over 30 flavours, all unique. I used a balsamic, fig and date mustard for this slider, but I also have a Canadian Maple one which has a really nice kick. If you can get your hands on some I’f recommend getting a few jars, I use it all the time.

The beets are super juicy after you boil and roast them, plus they absorb some of the flavour from the onion when boiling. The sweet potatoes add a nice crunch, and the kale is in there for some colour and freshness. I put these sliders together, had one leftover and ate it a few hours later. No sog whatsoever, so needless to say I was pretty pleased.

Ingredients

• 2 small beets, trimmed and greens discarded
• 1/2 small onion
• 1/2 sweet potato, sliced into large rounds
• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. Cajun seasoning (or your favourite seasoning mix)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 4 small buns
• 1 large kale leaf, chopped
• 2 tbsp. gourmet mustard (I use Kozik’s)
• 2 tbsp. chipotle mayonnaise

 Method

Fill a medium-sized pot with salted water, then add beets and onion. Cover, and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to a medium-low simmer, and allow to simmer for 30 minutes. Once they are done, allow them to cool and pull the skin off with a paper towel. It should come off easily. Slice the beets into large rounds.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a bowl, toss sweet potato, beets, oil and spices. Bake for 30-40 minutes, turning every 10 minutes to make sure they are cooked evenly. Toast buns then spread gourmet mustard on one half, and chipotle mayo on the other. Layer the roasted veggies and kale whichever way you prefer and enjoy!