So as I'm planning three major seders I'm catering (somebody please invite me to a second night seder so I don't have to do four), Mama is taking a brief time out to make some St. Patrick's Day treats for the Scots/Irish side of her family (of which there isn't actually one). My first question was how to make a corned beef dish without resorting to a sit-down dinner. So here we go, deconstructing a Reuben sandwich.

Start with slicing one of Mama's rye baguettes. If you have to, you can buy a "cocktail rye" loaf at most supermarkets. They are usually nowhere you would expect so ask the deli manager to find them for you.

Lay out the slices on a cookie sheet. Brush with olive oil. Turn slices. Brush again.

Bake at 350 until the slices begin to brown at the edges.

Meanwhile, put a nice package of a pound of deli sauer kraut (canned is a good backup), drained, into a medium frying pan.

Add a cup and a half of Mama's Russian dressing (whisk together 1 cup of mayo, 1 Tablespoon minced onion fresh or dried, 1 Tablespoon Frank's Red Hot, 1 Tablespoon Worcesteshire Sauce, 2 Tablespoons horseradish, 1 Tablespoon sweet paprika or mild chili powder) or bottled Russian or Thousand Island dressing (as you prefer).

Simmer and stir often.

Slice thickly a pound of good quality cooked corned beef from a real deli, or make it yourself, and trim to 1 x 2 inch pieces to suit the bread slices.

You may get company at this point, interested in your work.

Slice similarly, a pound of Swiss cheese.

Place the corned beef, then sauer kraut, then cheese, on rye.

Bake for ten minutes at 350 degrees or until cheese begins to brown. Try to let them cool before you eat them, but I'll admit I had to beat back the hordes with a stick to take pictures of the final product.