The other day a friend of mine described to me her four-year-old niece’s current favorite meal: a bread sandwich, consisting of one slice of bread folded over. I thought it was genius, if a little dry. No offense to my friend’s niece, but Colin Farrell and the country of Ireland have her beat in the “Where has this sandwich been all my life?” contest. Colin visited The Today Show last week with his A Big Bold Beautiful Journey costar Margot Robbie, where he recalled making a crisp sandwich to Margot every day on set. And by “crisp” I don’t mean brittle, I mean what Brits call their potato chips. But wait! Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better than potato chips conveyed to your mouth via two slices of bread, there’s a condiment — butter! And not only that, but Colin definitively says thick butter. And so I repeat: where has this sandwich been all my life?!
On Sept. 16, Farrell and Robbie appeared on TODAY and introduced Craig Melvin to an across-the-pond delicacy that piles carbs on carbs.
“I understand that you, also, during the course of the filming, you would send her a gift to make up every day,” Craig said to Farrell before the actor corrected the anchor — he would “deliver” it. “What was this thing you were delivering?”
“So, she loves a snack,” Farrell explained.
“Even when I’m not pregnant, I love to snack,” Robbie added.
“She’s constantly got pregnant appetite for the last 30-odd years,” Farrell joked, adding that during prep for filming, they discussed food.
“We had a rehearsal period, rehearsed for like two weeks before … a lot of that was just banter, just talking about our past, and I was talking about crisp sandwiches, which she calls ‘chippy sandwiches,’” Farrell said.
“Tayto Cheese and Onion, white bread — white cheap bread — thick butter,” Farrell continued, mentioning Ireland’s premiere crisp brand. “I brought one in for her every morning, that was my job.”
“Heaven,” Robbie noted.
Of course, Craig wanted Robbie and Farrell to “feel at home” while on the show, so he brought out three freshly made crisp sandwiches to genuine excitement.
As Farrell said the sandwiches look “very good,” he had to do one thing to complete them to his liking.
“I can tell you one thing we messed up at the start,” he said, grabbing a sandwich and then pressing all of his weight into it to flatten it, making a loud crunch.”
“Margot, this is yours, of course,” Farrell told her.
“I haven’t had breakfast yet,” Robbie said, taking a bite. “This is perfect.”
“Is that Tayto?” Farrell said with surprise at the sandwich’s accuracy. It was so accurate, in fact, it drove the movie star to curse live on-air.
“I f—ing knew it!” Farrell exclaimed to shock and laughter from Robbie and Craig.
Though they may seem unusual to the unfamiliar, crisp sandwiches are a staple food in the UK and Ireland. Though the origin of the recipe is up for debate, they’re said to have been created in the 1960s. Since then, they’ve become so widespread that Nigella Lawson has shared her adoration — and her own recipe — for the snack on social media.
You guys, I feel like I’ve finally found my soulmate (and no, I’m not at all surprised it’s in the form of food). My family has long been a fan of sprinkling a few potato chips in a sandwich for crunch, but we’ve only ever thought of it as an accent, not the main event. And for that I feel supremely stupid and ashamed. But now my world has been forever rocked with this life-altering revelation of the crisp sandwich. Or “Tayto Smashie,” as Colin’s fellow Irishman Jamie Dornan calls it, referring to that all-important final step of smashing the assembled sandwich. Aside from the smashing, Jamie and Colin are also united with their dedication to the Tayto brand cheese and onion flavor, as well as using “cheap” white bread. But from there Jamie makes some controversial detours, namely using mayonnaise instead of butter, and adding slices of ham. I could see experimenting with butter vs. mayo, but why bring ham to this party?! I can only surmise that his allergic reaction to kissing that horse affected his taste buds, because The Tayto Smashie (Jamie’s Version) has sparked heated debate online, including a hilarious reddit thread that kicks off with the comment “If you’re not from Belfast then you’re a culchie as far as I’m concerned,” to which another commenter hits back with “Only a wanker from Belfast would say that.” I love following a good food debate, especially when I have a tasty new confection to munch on while reading.
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- Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie seen at the European Premiere of A Big Bold Beautiful Journey on Thursday 11 September 2025 at ODEON LUXE Leicester Square, London. .,Image: 1036202339, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: World Rights – Julie Edwards/Avalon.Red, Model Release: no, Credit line: Julie Edwards/Avalon
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- Red Carpet arrivals for the New York premiere of ‘A Big Bold Beautiful Journey’ Featuring: Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell Where: New York, United States When: 15 Sep 2025 Credit: Darla Khazei/INSTARimages
Photos credit: James Warren/Bang Showbiz/Avalon, Darla Khazei/INSTARimages
I currently live in Pittsburgh, where I joke that high cuisine is ‘putting french fries on everything’ including sandwiches. And pizza. And salads. And… (You get the idea).
I wouldn’t be surprised if they made a french fry sandwich with fries and bread…. (I’m not suggesting it to them!)
In New Orleans we have the french fry po-boy.
Sometimes re-titled to the less terrible for you sounding “golden potato po-boy.”
It is french fries with debris (roast beef gravy) on a po-boy bun.
I have always thought- one day- i’m getting it. I bet it is delicious.
No Pittsburgh lifers actually put fries on anything.
I have yet to try the ‘delicacy’ that is french fries on everything… and no intentions to do so. I am, however, entertained by the whole thing.
My grandad (lifelong Clevelander) taught me the glory of potato chip AND french fry sandwiches. With mustard and mayo on the cheapest white bread available. Every so often, I’ll have one when I miss him. Unfortunately, my perimenopausal body now retails literally EVERY liquid now, so I don’t enjoy them too frequently. My Pittsburgh-born/Cleveland-raised grandmother hated fries, so aside from doing the touristy thing and going to Primanti Bros., the Yinzer contingent is strictly anti-fries.
Now, potato chip and tomato sandwiches? Hells to the yeah!
I went to grad school in Cambridge decades ago & I distinctly remember seeing on the menu at multiple places the ‘chip butty’–described as chips (fries) & mayo on a hamburger bun. Never tried one, but…yeah, I could eat it.
As for the potato chip sandwich, eh, my brother was doing that decades ago as well. He’d make your standard ham sandwich–we were still eating white bread then–then put barbecue chips on top.
I also put potato chips on my sandwich for some crunch and extra flavor but never just a potato chips with butter. May have to give it a try.
I want Robbie’s metabolism.
Chip butty! A French fry sandwich, especially with brown sauce and lots of salt. A late night staple across the pond. Yum.
Seriously. She does not look like a woman who ate a chip sandwich every morning. Then again, she’s young, so why not. Alas, I am not, and every calorie consumed stays with me.
I didn’t think I’d fall in love with Colin Ferrell this late in my life but here we are! I’ll go see this movie off he and Margot’s chemistry alone. He spent the interview praising her and speaking about her so kindly that I was smiling down at my phone the whole time. She is amazing and she deserves it. I still 🙄Craig Melvin though…
I love him.
A good Tayto sandwich is the best. Has to be cheese and onion Tayto (Republic version, not Northern Ireland) and good Kerrygold butter. Absolutely heaven 😍😍
The Tayto sandwich has actually become a big thing at Irish weddings in the last ten years. For later in the night after the main meal and halfway through the evening entertainment. Two slices of bread, a small portion of butter, like from a multi/cater pack and a disposable knife in a ziplock bag with your bag of Tayto for the guests. There tends to be a LOT of food as well as drinks at an Irish wedding 🤣
That, my friends, is a Cocker Spaniel sandwich. When we were little, my sister invented the potato chip and mayo sandwich, and named it the Cocker Spaniel sandwich, because we had a cocker spaniel. It was delicious, and I haven’t thought of it in years. What a lovely memory.
These were a big feature of my life as a student. The cheapest white bread, always cheese and onion crisps then we had mayo and a slice of processed cheese (the one that comes in the plastic wrapper, like fake dairylea). To be eaten at any time of the day or night but often in the early hours after a night out.
I am now both hungry and nostalgic. In part for when I had a much faster metabolism.
That last part…. 😉
I like how he has his arm around her in these photos…or how he DOESN’T look like he’s trying to cop a feel. V professional. I’m impressed
Peanut butter, slice dill pickle and onion chips. Anytime. Bkfst lunch dinner
Peanut butter and dill pickles makes the best sandwich! I will have to try it with onion chips!
Eat butter sandwiches every day and look like this!