Tag Archives: turkey

Jan’s Deli

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meter-good-greatJan’s Deli can be summed up in five simple words: Best turkey sandwiches in California. I don’t really need to say anything else about this place, and in fact there isn’t a whole lot more to report. Don’t worry though, I’ll find something to blather on about for another couple paragraphs. Trust me about the sandwiches though. Holy crap.

The signage doubles as the menu.

The signage doubles as the menu.

” A one-trick pony … but what a trick it is “

As it turns out, Menlo Park is full of excellent, quirky eateries. These tiny, hole-in-the-wall, locally owned food joints are exactly the kind of places I seek out when I’m looking for a bite. Sure, I could guarantee myself a modestly below average lunch at Panera Bread or Subway, but I’d much rather take a gamble on something new and different. One of the best of these gambles has turned out to be Jan’s Deli.

Besides sandwiches, there really isn't much else going on here.

Besides sandwiches, there really isn’t much else going on here.

The menu at Jan’s consists of a couple varieties of deli salad and to-order sandwiches. There are the usual varieties of cold cuts to choose from, spicy pork, meatloaf, and legendary hot roast turkey. I’m not exaggerating about the turkey. I would be thrilled if, just once in my entire life, I could make a Thanksgiving turkey half as good as the stuff Jan’s cranks out every day.

This is where the magic happens.

This is where the magic happens.

I usually get the same thing whenever I visit here for lunch: Turkey on Dutch crunch with everything. Deeeeeeeeelish. You can also ask for white meat only and, if you’re in the mood for it, cranberry sauce is a tasty addition. The perfectly fresh bread complements the hot roast turkey and the cool, fresh veggies. A sandwich of this absolute quality is a rare thing indeed. Above all else, the succulent, savory juiciness of the turkey takes center stage. THAT is what good turkey is supposed to taste like.

Pictures do not do this sandwich justice.

Pictures do not do this sandwich justice.

On a recent visit, I also tried out an order of mac salad. It was a bit on the plain side, but I liked it just fine. It wasn’t the best mac salad I’ve ever had; if I’m honest, I can’t even say it was above average. I would order it again for myself, but it’s probably not for everyone.

The minimum definition of macaroni salad.

The minimum definition of macaroni salad.

For a turkey fanatic, Jan’s Deli is the go-to lunch place in Menlo Park. I have dragged a number of other people to this place with mostly positive results. Those who were indifferent about Jan’s just so turned out to be the same people that didn’t order turkey sandwiches. Without a doubt, this strange little place is a one-trick pony … but what a trick it is.

It’s difficult to rate establishments like this. Jan’s doesn’t have a lot of strengths, but what strengths it has it plays to quite well. Jan’s doesn’t try to be anything it isn’t, and I have to admire the simple purity and focus of the friendly folks that run this joint. I rate Jan’s Deli 20 out of 24 Dutch crunch rolls, somewhere between the utter perfection of their flagship turkey sandwiches and the mediocrity of everything else.

      Pros
+ You will have dreams about the turkey
– …but not about the mac salad
+ Fresh, perfect bread
++ THE TURRRKEYY omg
+ Did I mention the turkey?		       Cons
– Limited hours
– Menu is all but nonexistent

Jan’s Deli
1004 Alma Street
Menlo Park, CA 94025
(650) 321-9372

Jan's Deli on Urbanspoon


May the drooling begin.

May the drooling begin.

Turkey Herder Pie

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With bare cupboards, a grumbling stomach, and no idea what to make for dinner, I somehow managed to throw this shepherd’s pie clone together in about 45 minutes. To my utmost astonishment, it didn’t suck. I quickly grabbed a pad of paper and scribbled down the recipe, and because I’m super nice I’m going to share it with you.

Skip to the short version

A completely non-authentic shepherd's pie rip off. We loved it.

A completely non-authentic shepherd’s pie rip off. We loved it.

It was just another regular old Sunday night at home, and there was nothing to eat. The pantry, freezer, and refrigerator were all in that familiar “blah” phase that takes places right before one drags oneself to the store to restock. Just as I was lamenting the grocery situation, my wife Shawn said, “Doesn’t shepherd’s pie sound good?”

” Fire up the broiler and show those stupid potatoes who’s boss “

We had barely any food in the house at all, so shepherd’s pie was very unlikely. “Oh sure, and why don’t we ask Bruce Willis to deliver some for us in a free Rolls Royce?” I said. Well, that’s what my brain wanted to say. My mouth, being tired of constantly getting into trouble thanks to my brain, decided instead to say “Sure, I’ll see what I can come up with.” My brain was horrified. Shawn was right though, shepherd’s pie did sound good.

There are a bajillion recipes out there, each one a little different, but there are some common themes. In a typical shepherd’s pie (aka, cottage pie), there is usually some kind of meat simmered in broth and Worcestershire sauce, some kind of vegetable, cheese or cream, onions, and mashed potatoes. I rummaged the freezer again and came up with some ground turkey I had forgotten about. The spice rack yielded beef bouillon powder and some dehydrated onions, and the pantry coughed up a box of instant potatoes and a can of corn. Well whaddya know. Rock and roll.


Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground turkey
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 tbsp dehydrated minced onions
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp beef bouillon dissolved in 1 cup hot water (or 1 cup beef broth)
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp ground thyme
  • 1 tsp sweet paprika
  • 1 can of corn, drained
  • 1 cup grated cheese (cheddar is best)
  • 2 cups prepared instant mashed potatoes


Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Brown the turkey in a skillet with the olive oil, dehydrated onions, and garlic powder, being careful not to overcook. When the turkey is barely done (don’t worry, it’ll cook quite a bit longer), add the boullion or broth, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, thyme, and paprika. Stir well and simmer uncovered until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 10 or 15 minutes. Salt to taste and remove from heat.

This is an obligatory picture of cheese.

This is an obligatory picture of cheese.

Layer the meat mixture in the bottom of a 13×9 casserole dish and cover with the drained corn. Add the cheese in another even layer, and then carefully spread the mashed potatoes over all of that using a rubber spatula. If you want to get fancy (and who doesn’t), take a fork and lightly scrape the top of the mashed potatoes to give it some texture. The resulting tiny little peaks of mashed potato will get toasty, ramping up the “Wow, look what you made!” factor.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the potatoes are browned. If they still aren’t browned after 25 minutes, fire up the broiler and show those stupid potatoes who’s boss. Remove from oven, dish up generous scoops of meaty goodness onto whatever plates you happen to have clean, and do be careful not to sear the flesh from the roof of your mouth. If you can come up with a better name than “Turkey Herder Pie”, I’m all ears. That was the best Shawn and I could come up with while under the influence of a respectable post-dinner food coma.

Super awesome tip: If you have a Dutch oven (tee hee), you can make this entire recipe in the one piece of cookware without having to do the skillet-to-baking-dish transfer thing.

Mmm, I do love me some tiny little toasty peaks of mashed potato.

Mmm, I do love me some tiny little toasty peaks of mashed potato.



tl;dr

Turkey herder pie

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground turkey
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 tbsp dehydrated minced onions
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp beef bouillon dissolved in 1 cup hot water (or 1 cup beef broth)
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp ground thyme
  • 1 tsp sweet paprika
  • 1 can of corn, drained
  • 1 cup grated cheese (cheddar is best)
  • 2 cups prepared instant mashed potatoes


Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Brown turkey in a skillet with the olive oil, dehydrated onions, and garlic powder. Add boullion or broth, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, thyme, and paprika. Stir well and simmer uncovered for 10 or 15 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Salt to taste and remove from heat. Layer meat mixture in the bottom of a 13×9 casserole dish. Cover with drained corn, then cheese, then mashed potato. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until mashed potato layer is lightly browned.



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