Jacques Pépin's James Beard-Inspired Sandwich Is Only 4 Ingredients

Chef Jacques Pépin frequently shares tips for home chefs, and though a James Beard sandwich recipe may sound complicated to the aspiring culinary novice, Pépin demonstrates otherwise. In a clip from his KQED series, "Jacques Pépin Cooking At Home," via YouTube, Pépin recalls a visit to Beard's house, sharing that Beard prepared him an onion sandwich as he reveals his spin on the approachable recipe with his audience.

Using traditional pieces of sliced bread, Pépin twists a drinking glass into each slice to cut out small discs of bread. Pépin then covers these circular pieces with mayonnaise before placing a thin slice of onion on top of the mayo-covered pieces. After adding a sprinkle of salt and pressing the bread pieces together, Pépin coats the outside with mayo before stating that Beard rolled his bread in parsley to season the edges of the sandwich.

For his own take, Pépin shares that he swaps the onions for radishes, the mayo for butter, and the parsley for chives. And, as he does so, Pépin fondly describes the sandwich as one that his wife enjoyed.

To make his James Beard-inspired sandwich filling, Pépin layers thin slices of radish on top of bread pieces that have been slathered with sweet and salted butter. To slice the radish into thin pieces before placing them onto the bread, he uses a hand peeler. After sprinkling a bit of salt on top of the radish layers and pressing both ends of the sandwich to seal the ingredients together, Pépin carefully cuts the edges of the sandwich to create a flat surface where butter can be spread onto the exposed edges. Next, the buttered edges are pressed into a plate that is coated with freshly cut herbs.

Both the radish and the onion sandwich are easy, quick options to fall back on when lunchtime hits. The herb-coated crusts look impressive on a plate so even if you don't have much time to whip up a snack, you can still serve a chef-approved recipe with minimal skill or effort.