Officer Bill Gannon’s Garlic Nut Butter Sandwich

Officer Bill Gannon, played by actor Harry Morgan, was a character in the television show Dragnet which appeared from 1967 to 1970 on the NBC Network. The show has appeared somewhere on the television dial ever since thanks to syndication and cable TV.

You may not have noticed the first time you watched this television series, but Officer Gannon is quite a foodie – maybe the original foodie. There were several segments of Dragnet devoted to Bill Gannon’s love of food and cooking. The garlic nut butter sandwich was shown during a Dragnet 1967 episode entitled A.I.D. : The Big Weekend.

In this episode, Joe Friday visits Bill’s house for a quiet evening off work playing cards with Bill and some of his neighbors. Of course, being cops, they are constantly interrupted several times during their well-earned relaxation time. There is time, however, for Bill to create a unique sandwich he loves. Here’s the directions:

Take two slices of pumpernickel bread.

Spread one with your preferred variety of peanut butter.

Spread one with cream cheese.

Crush garlic cloves over the cream cheese side, allowing juice to drip into cream cheese (to taste).

Join slices into sandwich form, cut into quarters and enjoy!

You don’t know what you’re missing Joe!

Mmmm, mmmm good ….