Pressed Cuban Sandwich with Roast Pork and Ham
Roast pork, ham, Swiss, and pickles pressed hot between crackling bread until the cheese runs — a heavy skillet does the job of a panini press.
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Written
Notes
Split the loaf lengthwise, leaving one long side hinged so it opens like a book. Spread mustard on both cut sides, then layer ham, half the cheese, the roast pork, pickles, and the remaining cheese, and close the loaf.
Butter the outside top and bottom. Set the sandwich in a hot skillet, weight it down with a second heavy skillet or a foil-wrapped brick, and press over medium heat until the bottom is deep golden and crisp, about 4 minutes. Flip, re-weight, and press the other side until the cheese has fully melted and the bread crackles when pressed, another 3 to 4 minutes.
Slice on a sharp diagonal and serve while the cheese is still pulling.
The bread only crisps properly under real weight — without a press, stack a second cast-iron skillet on top rather than skipping the step, or the sandwich just steams instead of crackling. Leftover roast pork or pulled pork both work fine here if you’re not roasting one specially for this; a soft French or Italian loaf is a fair stand-in if you can’t find Cuban bread.