Sandwich generation

Does your brown-bag lunch need perking up? Food writer Molly Watson of Sunset magazine was in town last week to judge a club-sandwich competition. After she’d finished judging, I asked for her tips on what makes a sandwich great:

1. “Clearly, the thing that makes or breaks the sandwich is the bread. You cannot make a good sandwich out of bad bread. I prefer a softer bread for sandwiches; I don’t like to have to bite through a crust. And I like to make a sandwich something you can pick up and eat; I don’t want a sandwich to fall apart as I eat it.”

2, “For me, I think it’s keeping the ingredients somewhat simple. I tend to go for the classic combination with one twist on an element, like a BLT with maybe using basil and arugula instead of lettuce, but not changing everything about the sandwich. Or a very light tuna salad with lemon juice and thinly sliced fennel—that’s a really nice sandwich.”

3. “Salt and pepper. Always season the sandwich elements with salt and pepper.”