Lines form at the doors of many eateries like Mother’s, Cafe Du Monde and Central Grocery and Deli in New Orleans for food that may or may not live up to the hype. The Turkey and the Wolf which openly admits selling overpriced sandwiches is a notable exception. Spend the money AND the time in line.

We did just that during our last visit to the Crescent City. Several friends recommended we try the Collard Green Melt. When I first heard the name of this sandwich, I winced and grimaced at the suggestion. But our friends insisted.

The Collard Green Melt is a vegetarian interpretation of a Rachel Sandwich with Cole slaw and sweet and spicy collard greens which form layers like pastrami. Swiss cheese and Russian dressing with pickled cherry peppers round out the sandwich.

Bon Appétit magazine shared this triple decker sandwich recipe with readers when announcing The Turkey and the Wolf as the #1 Best New Restaurant 2017. After making this sandwich at home, I am pleased to find that this home recipe is the next best thing to the real thing in NOLA.

Here are a few snaps and video of the steps.

I washed my collards twice in a clean sink to remove gritty dirt.

Pickled peppadews for the Russian dressing. I couldn’t get my hands on hot cherry peppers

Collards after three hour of slow braising.

Preparing bread slices to toast under the broiler.

Melt the Swiss cheese and add collard greens.

Add middle layer of Swiss cheese toast and Cole slaw.

Finish with Russian dressing.

Slice and serve.

Next time, I’ll spread soft butter on the bread when toasting.