Step Up Your Ham and Swiss Melt with Thin, Crispy Fried Salami and Jalapeño Jack
I’m not a butcher, but salami seems like a first or second cousin to bacon. Yes, bacon makes everything better. But salami makes everything easier, and just as salty. What it lacks is the crispiness of bacon. (I’m in Camp Crispy Bacon. As in, I’m OK with the chef throwing mine in a fryer to finish it off.)
Thinly sliced salami only takes a minute or two to sizzle to a crisp in its own fat. You can add it to your cold-meat sandwiches, salads, and my favorite—hot melt sandwiches. Here’s how I make a simple ham and Swiss with crispy fried salami and jalapeño Jack for a little kick.
Fry salami until they become chip-like.
Take them out of the pan and add double-smoked ham and fry it up. I like to tear the meat up into pieces instead of keeping it in neat slices. This is when I sprinkle in garlic powder, onion salt, and pepper. Set the hame aside and melt about a tablespoon of butter in the pan. I add a piece of bread, slice of Swiss cheese, salami and ham.
I top it with piece of jalapeño Jack cheese.
And put the top slice of bread on. When the sandwich is ready to flip, I lift it with a spatula, toss in another tablespoon of butter and then set the uncooked side into the melted butter and grill it until toasty brown.
Bacon is still a staple in our house. I need it to make grilled turkey cheddar and bacon sandwiches.
If you have deli meat but don’t want to turn your stove top on, make crunchy veggie-filled deli wraps with a layer of flavored cream cheese spread.
Salty summer wishes,
Ham and Swiss Melt with Fried Salami
Ingredients
- 4 slices thin salami
- ¼ lb deli ham
- garlic powder
- onion salt
- black pepper
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 slices bread
- 1 slice Swiss cheese
- 1 slice jalapeno Jack cheese
Instructions
- In small frying pan over medium-high heat, crisp salami on both sides. Slide the salami onto a plate.
- Put the deli ham in the pan, sprinkle with garlic powder, onion salt, and pepper and fry over medium heat until heated through. Put the ham on the plate with the salami.
- Melt a tablespoon of butter in the same pan. Lay one slice of bread in the melted butter. Top with Swiss, salami, ham, jalapeño Jack and second slice of bread. When the bottom slice of bread is golden brown, lift the sandwich with a spatula, toss 1 tablespoon of butter into the pan, and flip the sandwich into the melted butter so the other side gets toasty. Remove from pan and serve while hot.
- When the bottom slice of bread is golden brown, lift the sandwich with a spatula, toss 1 tablespoon of butter into the pan, and flip the sandwich into the melted butter so the other side gets toasty. Remove from pan and serve while hot.
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All text and images © Staci Mergenthal • Random Sweets
