Open-Faced Sandwiches

F&W's Justin Chapple poaches a dozen eggs at once in a muffin pan in the oven, making his cute and tasty breakfast sliders extraordinarily easy to prepare for entertaining.

This gorgeous open-face rye sandwich from chef Claus Meyer of the Great Northern Food Hall in Grand Central Station makes for the perfect light lunch or, when cut into smaller squares, an impressive hors d'oeuvre.

This classic pepper and hummus sandwich is a great midday snack.

Forgoing a heavy breading means you can really taste every component of this eggplant Parmesan sandwich--crusty garlic bread, fresh tomato sauce, ooey-gooey cheese and, most importantly, layers of thinly sliced, roasted eggplant.

For this smoky version of eggplant Parmesan, Sam Calagione and Marnie Old looked for a beer and a wine that could stand up to the grilled eggplant without overwhelming it.

"Before she opened her iconic New York restaurant, Prune, Gabrielle Hamilton and I worked together in catering," says F&W's Grace Parisi. "Her signature dish, sardines on Triscuits (a cheap snack she ate in college), is both legendary and notorious. She taught me that it's OK--admirable, even--to cook the food you grew up eating."

For a quick and clever take on a Monte Cristo, Kay Chun griddles ham until it's crisp, then piles it onto fried bread with cheese for a crispy, cheesy, insanely delicious sandwich.

"If I don't have good food at hand, I always eat the wrong thing," Quinn Hatfield says. That's why he keeps grilled meats in his fridge for sandwiches.

Turks call these sandwiches balik ekmek and make them with grilled fish--like mackerel--from the Bosphorus. For his version, Mehmet Gurs spreads grilled bread with a creamy roasted-garlic puree and tops it with smoked mackerel, arugula and slices of red onion and tomato.