Will Ferrell’s Favorite Sandwich Is Wildly Chaotic, and Shockingly Delicious

Published on January 3, 2026

What’s the best sandwich? While this question might call to mind countless classic sandwiches—grilled cheese, BLT, ham and cheese—I’d be willing to bet “salami and grapefruit” didn’t make the cut. So, I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw the now-viral clip of Will Ferrell telling Stephen Colbert all about his favorite “classic” sandwich: “salami and grapefruit on rye, with a light sheen of mayonnaise.”

I’ve never thought to combine these ingredients before—has anyone?—but I was intrigued enough to give it a try. Spoiler alert: I wasn’t expecting it to like it as much as I did.

How to Make Will Ferrell’s Favorite Sandwich

You don’t need much to make Will Ferrell’s favorite sandwich. This quirky recipe only calls for a few ingredients, and it comes together quickly:

1. Toast two slices of rye bread.
2. Spread a generous layer of mayonnaise on the inner side of both slices of bread.
3. Add a generous layer of salami to the bottom slice.
4. Add slices of fresh red grapefruit on top of the salami. Enjoy.

Tips for Making Will Ferrell’s Favorite Sandwich

• Our Test Kitchen tried a few different methods for cutting up the grapefruit, including supremes and slices. Personally, I think thin slices of grapefruit work best—just make sure to remove as much of the bitter pith (the white layer underneath the peel) as you can.
• There’s not much to this sandwich, so don’t be afraid to go heavy on the salami.
• I personally love rye bread, but one of our testers felt it threw this sandwich off. She suggests using sourdough instead.
• Most versions of this recipe call for a high-quality mayonnaise. I used Duke’s and thought it worked perfectly. If you’re not a big mayo person, some commenters suggest subbing it out for cream cheese instead.
• We made this recipe exactly as is, but my husband added a dash of crushed red pepper to his second half of the sandwich and felt that it added a nice kick.

The Verdict on Will Ferrell’s Favorite Sandwich

I tried this sandwich with my husband, and we were both blown away—it was much better than we expected it to be, and he doesn’t even like grapefruit! The unexpected combination of ingredients actually works quite well because of the flavor contrast: the tart grapefruit really helps cut through the rich, salty salami. Our Test Kitchen also said the sandwich was surprisingly better than they thought it would be, noting that the grapefruit “adds a good bit of juiciness to the sandwich.”

For how simple this sandwich is, there are a lot of interesting flavors going on. I know not everyone is a fan of grapefruit, but I’d still encourage them to give it a try. I loved one Reddit user’s suggestion of cutting the sandwich into tiny appetizer-sized portions, which might feel more approachable than a full-sized sandwich.