Cuban Sandwich

Cuban Sandwich

Start to finish: 20 minutes
Hands on time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

4 Heinen’s Bistro Rolls from the Bakery, cut lengthwise in half
3 tablespoons softened butter for spreading
4 tablespoons Dijon whole grain mustard or mustard of your choice
12 slices Two Brothers Black Forest Ham (The better the ham, the better the sandwich. Black Forest is delicious)
8 slices Swiss cheese
12 slices pickle or 3 large dill pickles cut lengthwise into 1/4-in slices
14 oz roasted shredded pulled pork from the To Go Case, warmed in the microwave if cold
Sea Salt Kettle Fried Potato Chips as an accompaniment

Preparation:

Lay out the rolls on a work surface and butter the outside top and bottom with the softened butter. Lay them butter side down and spread the cut sides with the mustard. Layer the ham, Swiss cheese, pickle and pork on the sandwiches and top them with the buns, butter side out.

Heat a large frying pan (cast iron is best) over medium-high heat and lay the buttered sandwich top-side down in the hot pan. Weigh the sandwiches with another heavy skillet or a foil wrapped brick. Cook them about 3 minutes or until the bottom is browned and crispy. Lower the heat if they brown too fast. The inside of the sandwich needs to heat up enough to melt the cheese. Flip the sandwich over and cook the other side for another 2 or 3 minutes using the pan or brick to compress the sandwich again. Remove the sandwich from the pan, cut it in half and serve it hot with crunchy, salty potato chips.

In the glass: There is something inherently fabulous about a cold beer with a hot sandwich. A Dos Equis from Mexico or a bottle of your favorite local brew from Great Lakes Brewery would pair well with the pickles, mustard and ham in this zesty sandwich.

Serves 4

Click here to print this page  |  Recipe courtesy of Carla Snyder

Carla has spent the past 30 years in the food world as a caterer, artisan baker, cooking school teacher, food writer and author of 6 cook books including the James Beard nominated Big Book of Appetizers. Her passion is sharing fresh, cooked-from-scratch weeknight meals that cut prep time and practically eliminate that nightly sink-full of dishes. Look for Carla on Facebook, Twitter (carlacooks), Pinterest and at ravenouskitchen.com where she blogs about everything from cooking for two to easy weekend entertaining for a crowd.