Cuban Sandwiches

Tonight's dinner (another recipe from a back issue of Cook's Country) was easy to make, tasted great and took barely any time at all. They might not be authentic Cuban sandwiches:


... but they sure were tasty. This was a recipe that used up leftover roast pork, but since we didn't make the master recipe SP bought sliced roast pork from the deli. While we liked the sandwiches quite a bit, there were a few things we'll be changing next time:

1) No yellow mustard. When I saw this ingredient in the recipe I almost didn't put it in because that seemed wrong to me, but I wanted to see how it tasted when made the way the recipe writers created it. Definitely not a flavor we want in our Cuban sandwiches.

2) Garlic mayonnaise instead of plain. The restaurant where we've gotten Cuban sandwiches in the past uses a garlic mayo and it really adds a nice flavor.

3) Instead of finely chopping the pickles and banana peppers, keep them in slices. The recipe calls for chopped and since we only had dill pickle spears I followed the recipe, but we both prefer slices.

4) More Swiss cheese. The recipe called for a 1/4 pound and we ended up with 6 slices for 4 sandwiches. That meant I had to cut the slices so I could evenly distribute the cheese. Next time we'll do two slices per sandwich - one on top and one on the bottom - to act as a glue.

Cuban Sandwiches
Cook's Country

1/3 cup diced dill pickles
1/3 cup diced jarred banana peppers
4 potato sandwich rolls
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons yellow mustard , such as French's
1/4 pound thinly sliced baked ham , preferably Virginia or Black Forest
1/2 pound cold roast pork , sliced thin
1/4 pound thinly sliced Swiss cheese
3 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted

1. Combine pickles and peppers in small bowl. Split rolls in half; spread top half with mayonnaise and bottom half with mustard. Layer ham, roast pork, pickle mixture, and cheese onto bottom half, finishing with cheese on top. Set tops of rolls in place and press down to flatten sandwiches.

2. Heat large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat for 4 minutes. Meanwhile, heat large pot or Dutch oven over medium-low heat for 4 minutes. Brush tops of sandwiches with melted butter and place in skillet buttered side down. Brush bottoms of rolls with remaining butter and use preheated pot to compress sandwiches for 15 to 20 seconds. Cook (keeping pot on sandwiches but not pressing down) until first side is golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove pot, flip sandwiches over, replace pot on top of sandwiches, and cook until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve immediately.