See tips and tricks and the Hoagie Roll recipe

#1 - Turkey Swiss #

turkey, swiss

roma tomatoes, mixed salad, giardiniera, deli dressing

#2 - Classic Italian #

provolone, your meat of choice

roma tomatoes, julienned lettuce, dill pickles, pickled red onions, deli dressing

The Gist #

The list below is tips and tricks I’ve picked up. I have many!

1. Toast your rolls => This makes them easier to slice and open. If the rolls are a couple day’s stale, spritz or pat with water. My favorite way is putting the rolls in a cold oven and setting it to 350°F. When the oven gets to temp and dings, the rolls should be hot to the touch and feeling solid and crispy. If not, toast for a few more minutes. Remove the rolls from the oven onto a warming rack, and let rest for at least 5 minutes, 10 is better.
2. Slice and open => with the roll on its side, mark a line down the middle, ideally a fine-tooth bread knife. Slice most of the way through, leaving the hinge intact. Gently pry the roll open with your hands. Keep the hinge intact and try not to break the edge where you sliced; both are fragile
3. Hollow it out => use your hand to pull out the thickest parts, mostly along the top half. Don’t remove as much if the sandwiches are being wrapped for later, especially on the bottom, to prevent a soggy crust
4. Dress and load, from bottom to top. It should look like too much
   1. Start with mayo => it repels liquids and keeps them intact. Good coverage, at least on the bottom half (c’mon man, do both). Don’t skimp
   2. Cheese, then meats for cold sandwiches. The cheese forms a barrier like the mayo
   3. Tomatoes => dress with salt + pepper. Some nice vingear for bonus points
   4. Pickles of any kind, if you have them. Splash some of their brine
   5. Lettuce => dress by dredging it through the tomatoes’ juices and/or with a nice vinegar
5. Close and wrap => move hoagie to bottom of parchment or wax paper that’s long enough to roll it a couple times
   1. Use your hands to gently stuff + close the hoagie, and spin it so hinge side is towards you. It doesn’t need to close all the way; this is just coaxing it
   2. Leave 5-6" of paper at the bottom, and use that to almost wrap over the hoagie, covering the cut/open portion.
   3. Use the other hand to pull the top of the paper away, building tension. Use that tension to tightly wrap the sandwich towards the end. Everything should be intact and compressable
6. Slicing and Storing
   1. If slicing in half, keep the paper on and cut on a slight angle since it looks prettier than straight across
   2. If storing for later, and especially if transporting, rewrap with plastic wrap to keep liquids intact