Ok. Over the last year I’ve really been studying the art of making the perfect sandwich.
A lot of people probably don’t think much about sandwich making. But I’m telling you, if you follow a few rules, even the most simple sandwich can be mind blowing.
Whatever you do in life, you should try to do your best. And when it comes to food your taste buds will thank you.
One of my favorite sandwiches to make is the classic Italian sub. It’s more Italian-American than it is Italian, but if you do it right, it can be awesome.
If you come from a place where Italian subs aren’t a big thing, maybe you are more familiar with French baguette sandwiches.
Whether you are going to use a great sub roll from an Italian bakery or a crusty baguette from a French bakery, it’s the same idea. It’s a sandwich made in a long, thin loaf of good bread.
The key is the quality of the ingredients. You need good bread, high end cold cuts and fresh veggies to make a great Italian sub.
If you follow my instructions on how to make this sandwich you can apply these techniques to just about any sandwich.
What You Need to Make An Italian-American Baguette Sandwich Recipe
These are the ingredients I like to use when I make an Italian sub. You should be able to find them all in the grocery store.
Cold cuts
When I make an Italian sub I like using mortadella, capicola, salami and a good quality ham. I suggest you buy imported mortadella and capicola. It’s definitely worth the additional cost.
Cheese
I like using provolone cheese in my Italian sub. You’ll see mild provolone and sharp provolone at the deii counter. The sharp provolone is more of a hard cheese with a strong flavor. They are both good choices so buy the one you like best.
Vegetables
It’s important to use fresh crisp vegetables in your sandwich. I like shredded iceberg lettuce, fresh tomatoes, and red onion. I also add a little fresh basil at the end sometimes.
Bread
The bread is very important when making a sandwich. A high quality sub roll or crusty French baguette will work. It should be crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside for the best results.
Oil and Vinegar
No good Italian sub is complete without a good drenching of oil and vinegar. Olive oil and red wine vinegar is the standard.
How to Make the Italian-American Baguette Sandwich Recipe
First of all, make sure your cold cuts are sliced as thin as possible. This is really important. Fresh, thin sliced cold cuts make every sandwich better. Believe me!
Now let’s get the bread ready. Find a great sub roll or the perfect baguette. Slice it all the way through so that you have a top and bottom.
Take the bottom half of the bread and drizzle on some olive oil and vinegar. Take the top half of the baguette or sub roll and do the same thing.
Now lay your slices of cheese on the bottom half of the baguette. Next start adding your meat.
The idea is to take the thinly sliced cold cuts and layer them in a way so that they are light and fluffy. That’s why it’s so important to slice everything as thin as possible.
Now add the vegetables. Start off with the shredded lettuce. Follow up with the tomato slices. Then the thinly sliced red onion.
If you want to add some hot peppers, now is the time.
Season everything with salt, pepper and oregano. Drizzle on some more olive oil and vinegar.
Cover everything with the top half of the sub roll and boom! The perfect sandwich.
What if I can’t find a proper sub roll where I live?
I’ve noticed that some parts of the country don’t have bakeries that make great sub rolls. If you live in one of these places, don’t worry.
Just about every supermarket these days carries some type of French baguette.
Buy the best baguette you can find. It’s a long loaf of bread that you’d find in France.
Sometimes you’ll see it called “French bread” in stores.
What are some other sandwich ideas that can be made in sub rolls or a good baguette?
Any good cold cuts will make a great sandwich. Here are some great combinations for a sandwich using a sub roll or French bread.
Roast beef and cheddar cheese is great with 1000 Island dressing.
Turkey and Provolone is a really good combination with peppery arugula and pesto mayo.
If you are the type that likes French food, you can try making a classic French baguette sandwich. French ham with gruyere cheese and dijon mustard is a good combination.
How should I store my sub roll or French baguette?
Here’s some important advice. Don’t store your bread in the fridge. It will make it stale. The bread is best when it’s stored at room temperature.
If you want, you can put it in the oven for a couple minutes and make your sandwich with a toasted baguette.
