The Pungent Sandwich Martha Stewart Ate As A Child Is A Retro Classic

She's one of the most trusted experts on cooking and homemaking in the world. She's besties with Snoop Dogg. Maybe she did a little insider trading, but that's okay — she served her time and dealt with the prison food, to boot. She's Martha Stewart, and we love her. But ask yourself this: What do you suppose Martha Stewart's breath smells like? Probably nothing short of immaculate, right? Like mint, wintergreen, and some kind of secret mouthwash only rich people from Connecticut can buy? Well, maybe so, but probably not right after she ate a childhood favorite of hers: onion sandwiches. As strange as it might sound to a modern diner, they're a well-loved vintage snack — just be sure to brush your teeth afterwards.

In an Instagram clip, Stewart, her voice dulcet and unruffled as ever, described a cherished evening ritual with her father. When they played Scrabble together, their games often running past midnight, young Martha Kostyra and her father would enjoy onion sandwiches, which were made on white bread with "sweet butter" and slices from "a pungent white onion." It's a nice, humanizing reminder that, although Stewart has become a patron saint of DIY-ers, bakers, and organizational gurus across America, she herself can make some questionable choices.

Some of you may not be so sure about the virtues of an onion sandwich. While we're sure none of us will profess to know more about what tastes good than Martha Stewart, an onion sandwich may strike some as the wrong kind of vintage. It's unadorned, pungent, and decidedly out of step with this "lemony garlic miso gochujang brown butter pasta" world we live in. (Unsurprisingly, onion sandwiches were quite popular during the Great Depression.) But after taking just a couple of steps, you might just be surprised by how enjoyable you find it.

Of course, it's hard to overstate the importance of using high-quality ingredients. Wonder Bread and Country Crock may do the job just fine, but if you spring for a nicer loaf of bread and use a quality butter like Irish national treasure Kerrygold, it can only make your dish taste better. And if you'd rather not be bowled over by raw onion flavor, you may want to soak your onion slices in cold water before putting them on the sandwich. It's a reliable way to mellow out the onion's flavor while still tasting great.