You may well be knocked sideways by the sheer punch of this apparently simple sandwich – and it’s great for picnics, too

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ast month, while on a book tour in New York, I ate a sandwich that moved me to utter profanities. It was unusual behaviour from me, and more so because the sandwich in question was packed with an excessive amount of spring greens, but then, that is the genius of Brooks Headley, chef/owner of Superiority Burger: like Midas, he has an ability to turn the ordinary into gold. Here, I’ve tried to recreate it by cooking down a kilo of spring greens until they are melting, soft, collapsed and buttery, before tossing them with sharp cheddar. It’s pure picnic gold.

You don’t have to have this on a picnic, but it really does work well, plus you can make the greens in advance and refrigerate them, provided you give them time to come up to room temperature afterwards. Buy the best focaccia you can find, or make your own – I make a 20cm x 30cm one like this (minus the garlic).

Prep 10 min