Sometimes the simplest things are the best, and, many times, they conjure up great memories. When I was growing up in Eastern, PA, in our family, if any one of us was coming or going for any reason, we could always count on a supply of sliced ham, hard salami, Swiss and American cheese, in mom's pastel-yellow refrigerator. Sliced as thin as she could get the deli-guy to slice them, all four of us liked all four, and, on white-or-rye or not, we were free to get as creative with the condiments as we wanted. When it came to ham, dad insisted on Guldon's brown mustard, mom was a Miracle Whip kinda gal, I liked Tallarico's hot red-pepper spread, and, my brother, well, he just enjoyed plain 'ole unadulterated ham and cheese rollups sans bread.
Interestingly (or not so interestingly) when it comes to a ham sandwich, I like various types of super-thin-sliced deli-ham better than baked ham of the type leftover from a holiday meal (which I prefer to make use of in a few breakfast and dinner casseroles). I've never met a deli-ham that I seriously didn't like (unless it isn't sliced thin enough), and, depending on what store I'm in, my top three favorites (Boar's Head or Deitz or Watson) are: sweet deli ham, deluxe ham, and, peppered ham. There's more. While I make great grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, I prefer to put my feet up and snack on this no-fuss, relish-it-cold sammie with a few chips and a frosty Amstel Light to wash it down -- with fond memories of mom's pastel-yellow refrigerator.
1 baguette + 4 ingredients = a sweet-heat sandwich combo:
For 4 larger sandwiches or 8 smaller sandwiches:
1 12-ounce, 18"-ish, French baguette
1-1 1/2-2 5-ounce containers Alouette creme de Brie spread w/garlic and herbs
8 tablespoons sweet 'n spicy Amish-style red pepper jam
1/2 (approximately) a 5-ounce box organic Spring mix
12 ounces super-thin-sliced Boar's Head sweet deli ham
~Step 1. Slice the bread section in half horizontally, to form two flat halves. Spread the Brie atop both halves. Place a small handful of Spring mix atop the Brie on the bottom half of the sandwich, then pile it high with the super-thin-sliced ham. Spoon and gently spread the pepper jelly atop the Brie on the top half of the bread. Put the top on the sandwich.
~Step 2. Wrap the entire length of the baguette sandwich in plastic wrap. At this point, the sandwich may be refrigerated for a few hours (1-2) prior to slicing and serving -- which makes this a perfect sandwich to make and take to a Summer get-together or Fall tailgate, but, it is best serve at room temperature, so, no complaints please, play by those rules. At serving time, slice the sandwich into quarters (for larger sandwiches), or eighths (for smaller sandwiches), plate, and serve ASAP.
Slice, serve & savor each meaty sweet-heat bite:
My Beat-the-Heat Sweet-Heat Deli-Ham Sandwich: Recipe yields instructions to make 4 larger sandwiches or 8 smaller sandwiches.
Special Equipment List: serrated bread knife; butter knife; teaspoon; plastic wrap sandwich picks
Cook's Note: Can one ever have too many grilled cheese-type sandwich recipes? The answer is an unequivocal no. High-quality, super-thin-sliced deli-ham on caraway-seeded rye is one of my favorite sandwiches. Crispy, thin-sliced apples with a chunk of white or yellow cheddar cheese is one of my favorite snacks. As a fan of sweet and savory combinations, when I combine the two with a slather of apple butter and some delicate, slightly-peppery greens in between, magic happens. Try my recipe for ~ Grilled Ham-on-Rye w/Cheddar Apple and Arugula ~.
"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti
(Recipe, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2020
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