Italian Grinder Sandwich
Here’s a thing even Vikings and Packers fans may agree on. The Italian Grinder Sandwich is an undeniable culinary masterpiece: crusty French bread, layers of thinly sliced meats, Italian seasoning, garlic and provolone cheese, all topped with a creamy salad. What’s not to love? And we haven’t even gotten to all the condiments yet.
The thing about our version of the classic sandwich is the way it tastes so fresh and light, yet feels every bit as satisfying as you want — and expect — it to be. It’s gratifying, but not glutenous. What accounts for this yin and yang of flavor and feel? It could be the part of the French loaf that’s torn out, crumbled, soaked in seasoned butter then slathered back into the loaf, leaving a hearty yet doughy border for the oh-so-thinly sliced ham, mortadella, soppressata and salami to be layered inside. Or it could be the Calabrian chiles, which offer a lovely tang and zest without being overpowering. Some may even argue that it’s the salad with its palate-pleasing creaminess that does it. Whatever it may be, it’s not worth arguing over. Let’s save any quarreling for the game and get back to the sandwich, shall we?
No description of an Italian Grinder would be complete without the cheese. After the melted combo of butter, olive oil, Italian seasoning, garlic and torn-out bread is evenly coated on each side of the cut loaf, provolone cheese slices are layered on and broiled for a few minutes. The melty, drippy and totally irresistible result is so picturesque it’s almost cartoonish. Once you see it, you’ve gotta try it for yourself. After the cheese, it’s a layer of meat, the creamy salad and then one more layer of meat. Perfection!
If you love Italian Grinders but have never attempted to make them because of the intimidation factor, we hear you. There are a lot of parts to this thing. But our recipe makes it super approachable. Once you get into it, you’ll realize how easy it is to bring it all together. But good luck trying to keep it together! (Bibs not included.)
4 to 6 servings
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 3 minutes
Ingredients
1 L&B French Bread
¼ cup unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon L&B Italian Seasoning
2 tablespoons minced garlic
8 slices provolone cheese
1 small head iceberg lettuce, shredded
½ large red onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chopped jarred Calabrian chiles
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
¼ cup mayonnaise
8 ounces L&B Hickory Wood Smoked Boneless Sliced Ham
8 ounces sliced Italian mortadella with pistachios
8 ounces thinly sliced soppressata
8 ounces sliced black pepper salami
Directions
- Heat the broiler to high.
- Using a serrated knife, slice the French bread in half lengthwise. Using your hands, tear out the middle section of soft bread from each half of the loaf, leaving a ¼”-thick border. Crumble the soft bread into small pieces and reserve half of it.
- In a small pot over low heat, melt the butter with the olive oil, Italian seasoning, minced garlic and reserved bread. Using a spoon or pastry brush, evenly coat the inside of the cut loaf with the seasoned butter and bread.
- Evenly layer the provolone cheese slices on both sides of the bread and broil for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Remove the bread from the oven and set aside.
- In a large bowl, toss together the iceberg lettuce, red onion, Calabrian chiles, kosher salt, black pepper, white wine vinegar and mayonnaise to create a slaw.
- On the bottom slice of bread, evenly layer the smoked ham and mortadella. Top with the slaw, followed by the soppressata and black pepper salami.
- Close the sandwich and slice into 4 to 6 portions. Enjoy!
Recipe source: Ingredient
