A French Toasted Fried Bologna Sandwich transforms bologna from basic to gourmet.
The idea for a savory, upscale fried bologna sandwich came to me in a few different ways. It was a combination of childhood memories of trips to Grandma’s and an inspirational sandwich from a small dive bar in my home state of Ohio. I remember planning trips to Grandma’s and getting excited because upon our arrival, she would have her homemade potato salad, cold cuts and cheese on the table. I loved it because my Grandma always had brick cheese and Hellman’s mayo. As a kid that was a real treat, because my parents preferred the sweeter Miracle Whip over mayonnaise. At Grandma’s, my standard sandwich was beef bologna, brick cheese and salami, topped with mayonnaise and kettle cooked potato chips right on the sandwich.
I always ate this sandwich with her signature potato salad, which we featured on Superman Cooks a while ago. As a kid, I thought that bologna was a special treat that was only available at Grandma’s house. It wasn’t until later in life that I realized that this wonderfully flavored meat was not as gourmet as I had thought. Rather, most people viewed bologna as a poor man’s lunch meat. As an adult, I frequented a local pub after work to eat a fried bologna sandwich, served on toast with red peppers and Swiss cheese. I have fond memories of this sandwich and have always wanted to make a Superman Cooks version of it.
When I first mentioned the idea of a fried bologna sandwich to Jackie, she wrinkled her nose a bit. How could we make a fried bologna sandwich special enough for a post? If she had only gone to Grandma’s with me, she would have understood. In an effort to make this idea “Superman Cooks worthy”, I decided to refer to another favorite sandwich of mine, the Monte Cristo. It all came together at that point. I decided to make the French toast a little more savory, and add roasted red peppers.
We stopped by the market to get our ingredients and came home to build my new masterpiece. We made two large sandwiches and asked the kids to try them as well. Everyone was hesitant at first but still willing to give it a shot. The consensus was so good that they have asked me to make this fried bologna sandwich three more times in the last month. This once “poor man’s sandwich” has officially gotten an upgrade.
Fried Bologna Sandwich
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 15 mins
- Yield: 1 sandwich 1x
- Category: Sandwich
- Cuisine: All American
Description
A Sandwich that takes a basic bologna and transforms into a gourmet sandwich
Ingredients
- 2 Thick Slices of bread (Brioche or Challah work great, Italian will also work)
- 2 Eggs
- ¼ C Milk
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper
- 1 tsp rosemary
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- ½ C roasted red pepper strips
- 2 slices American cheese
- 2 thick slices beef bologna
- 2 tbsp butter
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine eggs, parsley, red pepper, parsley and sugar and mix until sugar is dissolved. Add milk and mix.
- In a small sauté pan, heat bologna until browned on both sides and set aside.
- Using a larger fry pan heat butter over medium heat until melted.
- Place bread in egg mixture until coated. Place bread into sauté pan and cook until golden brown (about 2 minutes).
- Flip bread and top with 2 slices cheese on each piece of bread.
- Add peppers and bologna and heat until cheese is melted.
- Combine to make sandwich and serve cut in half.
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