Food Trip Friday: Classic Cuban Sandwich

Flavorful meats, cheeses and pickles pressed between a freshly buttered baguette is the perfect way to curb your guests’ first quarter cravings.

INGREDIENTS:
2 baguettes, about 1 pound each
Butter, softened
Yellow mustard
Mayonnaise
1/2 pound ham, thinly sliced
1/2 pound pork roast, thinly sliced*
1/4 pound Swiss cheese, thinly sliced
Dill pickles, thinly sliced lengthwise
Olive oil spray

*You can find pre-cooked roasted pork—often called “porketta”—in the cold case at your local grocery store.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Heat a sandwich press.* Slice the bread in half lengthwise, but do not cut all the way through.
2. Spread a small amount of butter, mustard and mayonnaise inside the top and bottom of the loaf.
3. Layer with ham, pork, cheese and sliced pickles.
4. Cut the sandwich into 3 sections, and then lightly coat the top and bottom of each section with olive oil spray.
5. Grill each section 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until lightly toasted and the cheese has melted, pressing to flatten. Slice sections and serve warm.

Tip: To serve as appetizers, cut each sandwich piece diagonally into 4 or 5 smaller pieces.

*Don’t have a sandwich press? Use a griddle and a cast iron skillet to create your own. Cook as instructed above, using the cast iron skillet to weigh down the sandwich on the grill pan.