My hometown of Richmond, Virginia, is where I got the idea for this recipe for corned beef and knockwurst sandwiches. In the 1940s, Richmond’s own NY Deli invented this griddle-cooked dish, which quickly spread to other restaurants and bars in the neighborhood. It’s amazing that no one else has ever heard of it.
| Prep Time: | 35 mins |
| Cook Time: | 15 mins |
| Total Time: | 50 mins |
| Servings: | 4 |
| Yield: | 4 sandwiches |
Ingredients
- 3 cups shredded cabbage
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 1 teaspoon adobo seasoning (such as Goya®)
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 cups vegetable oil for frying
- 3 whole russet potatoes
- 8 thick slices Italian bread
- 1 pound sliced pastrami (divided)
- 4 slices provolone cheese
- 8 slices tomato
Instructions
- Make the coleslaw: Mix cabbage, oil, vinegar, sugar, adobo seasoning, and pepper together in a bowl until thoroughly combined. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
- Make the fries: Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Peel potatoes and cut into 1/4-inch-thick fries.
- Fry potatoes in the preheated oil until golden brown and they float to the surface, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Make the sandwiches: Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F (110 degrees C). Place bread slices on a baking sheet.
- Toast bread in the preheated oven until light brown, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Transfer four slices bread to a plate. Cover remaining four slices on the baking sheet with pastrami and provolone cheese. Return to the oven and cook until pastrami is hot and cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.
- Transfer sandwiches to individual plates. Top each one with French fries, coleslaw, two tomato slices, and remaining bread slices.
- This sandwich is made with pastrami, but you can use capicola, turkey, or roast beef if you prefer.
- We have determined the nutritional value of oil for frying based on a retention value of 10% after cooking. The exact amount will vary depending on cooking time and temperature, ingredient density, and the specific type of oil used.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 892 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 80 g |
| Cholesterol | 97 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 7 g |
| Protein | 43 g |
| Saturated Fat | 12 g |
| Sodium | 1604 mg |
| Sugars | 11 g |
| Fat | 45 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Made this multiple times to share with friends.
I make this and put it on pulled pork sandwiches! My husband and friends love it!!!
This was very tasty! I used pastrami as my meat and they came out great! The cole slaw was super easy and very good. I will definitely make these again!
The ingredients are good but the prep is off. The fries need to be twice fried, the meat fried in a pan & then the cheese melted on top of it, the bread never goes in the oven, it should be soft & finally, top with a fried egg, the yolk still runny. The egg is definitely optional but we love it. We’ve used pastrami, corned beef, capicola & spicy Italian sausage. Fry the potatoes in 4 batches at 320; each batch will take 2 to 4 minutes. Stir occasionally as they cook, until the fries are soft and cooked through but still pale. Allow enough time for the oil to return to 320 degrees between batches. Increase the heat to high (or as needed) so that the temperature of the oil reaches 375 degrees. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Cook the fries a second time, working in 4 batches; each batch will take 2 to 3 minutes, until the fries are crisp and golden brown. Transfer to the lined baking sheets. Immediately season lightly with salt, then place in the oven to keep the fries warm. For the meat and cheese: Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Have ready a large baking sheet. Separate the meat slices and add to the skillet, turning them as needed until the slices are warmed through. Transfer the slices to the baking sheet, creating 8 equal portions. Top each with a slice of provolone cheese. Place in the oven (along with the fries) just until the cheese has melted. For assembly: Place the portions of cheese-topped meat on 8 bread slices. Top with a large han
10.15.16 ~ A totally different sandwich for us. Can’t say we’ve ever had a french fries on a sandwich. DH liked this sandwich better then I did. I used shaved ham as the submitter said you could choose the meat of your choice. If we are ever in Pittsburgh, we will check out the ‘real deal’.
Now this is a hearty, tasty sandwich!
I just finished making this sandwich and it was fantastic! I did 1/2 lb of pastrami and 1/2 lb of roast beef and added an extra slice of provolone slices over each meat. Follow the direction and you can’t go wrong! My wife hates cole slaw but she added pickles to her sandwich and it blew her away.
I’ve made this sandwich several times for friends & family and it’s always a hit!!
I made it at our usual week night dinner with my niece and everyone devoured it.
I have lived in the Burgh for over 70 years and have taken everyone of our exchange students to the original Permanti’s at the strip district. The ambiance there is unbeatable in any other location.You sit at tiny round tables elbow to elbow with many characters there and the wait staff is wild and fun. Other than the missing fun, the recipe is oh so good, but oh so bad for you!
I hale from Pittsburgh, and if you grew up there, chances are you visited Pirmanti Brothers restaurant. I’ve been talking about them here in Colorado for 12 years! Absolutely, by far, one of THE BEST sandwiches you will ever eat! This one in particular! Try it, you’ll love it!!! Worth every minute of prep! This is 5-Star sandwich!
Born and raised in da-burgh and ate plenty of these throughout the years. Although some prefer the bread untoasted; I like toasted bread with almost any kind of sandwich. With that being said; I made two of these for lunch today. Used my own recipe for the fries, followed directions otherwise. My friend who had never tasted these; loved it!! She took the recipe home to treat her own family. Thanks for reminding me of this great sandwich; it has been a few years since I have been back to Pittsburgh to get an original.
Too funny! I live in da ‘burgh! I never thought anyone really needed a recipe for this sandwich but I guess if you aren’t from around here…..
I need to preface my review by saying that I’ve been eating Primanti Brothers’ sandwiches for 25 years. By my husband’s estimate, we’ve eaten upwards of 300 of them. When we dated, we used to go to one of the older Primanti’s Restaurants in Oakland. There, we used to sit on barstools and watch them make our sandwiches. Lots and lots of sandwiches. I need to let the reader know this because there are a number of discrepancies in this recipe. The ingredients are very accurate, and the cole slaw is a good approximation of the original (which actually varies pretty greatly depending on which restaurant you’re visiting). Yes, they use thickly sliced Italian bread. In 25 years not one of our sandwiches has been toasted or prepared using an oven. The bread is freshly sliced. The meat (we prefer corned beef) is tossed on a griddle top long enough to heat it through and start it curling up a bit. The cheese is quickly held to the hot griddle surface to start it melting, then it is laid on top of the hot meat. The meat/cheese is then placed on the bread and topped with the other ingredients. So while this recipe is close to the original, if you want the authentic Primanti’s Sandwich, you need to prepare it the way they prepare it in the restaurant. You’ll end up with a sandwich you can barely wrap your mouth around. This gets four stars from me, as it’s not quite authentic, but it has the potential to be. Thanks for a good starter recipe.