Rueben-Panini & Thousand Island vs. Russian Dressing- what's the difference?

I decided to make a Rueben-Panini, but when I went to check on the recipe, I realized it was Russian Dressing I needed to make, and not Thousand Island. All these years, I never realized the distinction between the two - maybe I thought they were both the same dressing with different names. But no, two different dressings, easily confused because they both include ketchup and mayonnaise.

grillin' grillin' grillin'

The difference between the two dressings is what you add after the ketchup and mayo. With Thousand Island, you add pickle relish; with Russian dressing, you add horseradish, worcestershire sauce and a little lemon juice. Once I tasted the Russian Dressing, I realized it wasn't the same as Thousand Island- no, not at all! I feel a little silly for not realizing that before today.

The Rueben was delicious, by the way. Half corned beef, half pastrami, melted Tillamook Swiss cheese, Boar's Head sauerkraut (I took the easy way out, even though sauerkraut is super easy to make), and the homemade Russian Dressing, all on Marsee Bakery's wonderful rye bread. I like how the panini press made the bread nice and crispy without butter, so I felt less guilt about dipping the sandwich in the leftover Russian dressing.