Cuban Sandwiches

I mentioned in this week’s meal plan that I’ve been craving these Cuban sandwiches for a long time now -- but week after week, I never end up making them for one reason or another. I was determined to actually make them this week, and I’m so glad I finally did, because they turned out to be one of those “OMG so delicious I have to share it with you right now” sorts of meals. Which is why we ate them for dinner last night, and I’m skipping way ahead in my list of recipes to share to write about them today.

The star of the sandwiches is definitely the juicy, flavorful, succulent pork roast (which I found by way of my friend Jessie). It’s marinated overnight in vinegar and oil and tons of garlic, which makes it incredibly tender and gives it so much flavor. For these sandwiches, it’s paired with sliced ham, Swiss cheese, and crunchy pickles and pressed until oozy and delicious. The hands-on time for these is about 15 minutes, so they're easy in addition to being absolutely delicious.

Traditional Cubans are made with yellow mustard, but the hubs it not a fan, so I made a little spread with honey mustard and mayonnaise, and I thought that worked perfectly for these. I liked the hint of sweetness from the honey mustard. Joe took one bite, looked at me, and said, “Whoa.”

I think that about sums it up. Try them!

Cuban Sandwiches
Pernil adapted from Tasty Kitchen

For the pernil:

1 2-pound pork shoulder or butt
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon oregano or marjoram
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 teaspoons salt

For the sandwiches:

Sliced Swiss cheese
Sliced ham
Sliced pickles
Rolls (hoagie rolls or something oblong work best)
Honey mustard
Mayonnaise

1. For the pernil: Combine garlic, pepper, oregano or marjoram, olive oil, vinegar and salt. Rub pork with garlic mixture and refrigerate overnight. Cook in a Crock pot on low for 8 hours.

2. To assemble the sandwiches, mix together equal parts mayonnaise and honey mustard. Spread sauce on both sides of a roll. Layer cheese, ham, pickles, pernil, and another slice of cheese on the bottom of a roll; top with other half of roll.

3. Press sandwiches in a panini press or skillet until bread is crispy and cheese is melted.