Put a new twist on the classic grilled cheese sandwich

For the sandwiches:

Butter the bread on both sides. On the inside half, coat from outside edges to the center with a thick layer of the Thousand Island dressing. Place a layer of sauerkraut or if you prefer tomatoes and/or dill pickle slices, top with about 3 ounces of the sliced brisket and two slices of Swiss cheese. Top with the other piece of bread. In a heavy-bottom skillet melt the butter and begin to cook your sandwiches. The trick here is to make sure each side gets golden brown. Once one side is golden, you flip it and press the sandwich down. When the second side is golden, I often like to put in a hot oven to make sure the brisket is good and hot. Cut in half and eat!

For the dressing:

In a medium-size bowl, add all ingredients and stir to combine.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Sprinkle the brisket with salt, pepper and paprika (the brisket will be a light red color from the paprika). Lightly dredge in flour, shaking off any excess. In a heavy bottom pot, heat vegetable oil until almost smoking and sear the meat until brown on all sides, making sure to not burn the paprika. Remove the brisket and set aside. Add the carrot and onions and cook until golden brown. Add the meat back in the pan, add the tomatoes, the water and bring to a boil. The liquid should come ¾ of the way up the side of the meat when braising.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 2-3 hours until the meat slips off a fork when pierced. If you want a thicker gravy, puree the cooking liquid or if you prefer it thin, let the liquid cool and skim the fat off the top. Finish with the juice of one full lemon and a few shots of Tabasco. If your gravy is too thin, you can continue to cook the gravy to get the consistency you want. If it's too thick, you can add some water to thin down. What I love about brisket is you can hardly screw it up, just make sure to cook it long enough!

Once cooled, slice the brisket, against the grain in no more than ½-inches-thick. For an entrée, you can take your sliced brisket, place in a pan, top with the gravy and freeze. If you serve that night for dinner you can make the grilled cheese with brisket, tomatoes and sauerkraut the next day.

To prepare the marinated onions:

In a medium bowl, combine the oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Add the onions, toss to coat them, and allow to marinate for 15-20 minutes at room temperature. Season them with more vinegar, salt and pepper, to taste.

To assemble the sandwiches:

Set half of the slices of bread buttered side down. Spread an even layer of mustard over the bread and cover with half the cheese slices, folding them back in toward the middle if they extend past the edges of the bread.

Scatter the marinated onions on top and place the remaining cheese slices over the onions. Put the top slices of bread over the cheese, buttered side up. Grill the sandwiches in a moderately hot skillet until the bread is golden brown and the cheese has melted. Cut each sandwich in half on the diagonal.