Sandwich Tips? Don't mind if I do.

I was eating a bland lunch meat sandwich sometime around Halloween... And I was tired. Tired of making this staple food that was never as good as I wanted it to be... But why?

So I reached out to my favorite sandwich spots, did some research on the Web, and dug into recipes... And I think I found the basics to make any sandwich better.

For some reason I was never seasoning and dressing my veggies. Nearly every shop I talked to used either a dressing (vinaigrette) or even just simply spices and a pinch of salt.

Go try it. Take a bit of lettuce unprepped, and then a bit with just salt and pepper. See how much that pops?

Do this with all of your veggies. Little s&p, maybe some thematic herbs and spices... And you're already ahead of 90% of home sandwiches in 60 secs.

Veggies go on top or bottom. Middle veggies = a slippery slope for everything to fall off of.

Bread is so important. Whatever bread you do use? A light toasting will make it better.

You want a good sturdy bread to support your meat and toppings, and a bit of bite. There's a reason why the baguette and Italian hard roll are the most popular sandwich breads for real meaty subs. If you're making a pressed sandwich? Make sure the bread gives compression.

You can't beat my meat... Because I choose meats that are of the best quality I can afford. I then make sure my deli guy cuts them super thin, with the fattiest meats (prosciutto for instance if I'm being fancy) being cut thin enough to see through).

While building your sandwich don't just slap slices down. Pinch and bunch your meat, and let those natural folds aerate. When the sandwich gets pressed down the meat has a better mouth feel, less chewy but more full, and like in all things fluffing your meat makes it look bigger.

And lay down those fats. A medium to thick scrim of any fatty substance (butter, Mayo, cream cheese even) prevents the bread from getting soggy and protects the Constitution of your sandwich.

Deli wrapping compresses the sandwich allowing flavors to mingle. A nice parchment paper helps keep your sando for long periods, and then a quick center cut makes for a pretty bisection.

Test sandwich 7. This was my first real attempt at the base principles altogether and I have to tell you... Best Italian I've had. At around 6 oz meat and 3 oz cheese (still figuring out personal ratios) it comes out to around $5. Throw in some chips and a pickle and I have a delicious, meaty, savory bite that would have cost me twice as much at my local deli and added less than 10 mins prep time.

I've tried this basic 'sub shop' configuration with any number of deli meats from roast beef to bologna, traditional Italian to club, and it slaps.

Any other tips for sandwiches?

I hope you have a great weekend, and as Zevon said... Enjoy every sandwich.

Dovie'andi se tovya sagain,

— ML