Joshua’s Recipe for Anthony Bourdain’s “Mortadella and Cheese Sandwich”

Name: Joshua’s Recipe for Anthony Bourdain’s “Mortadella and Cheese Sandwich”
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes

Can Joshua Weissman make Anthony Bourdain's “Mortadella and Cheese Sandwich” even better?

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Prep

5 minutes

Cook

10 minutes

Total

15 minutes

Serves

people

Joshua’s Recipe for Anthony Bourdain’s “Mortadella and Cheese Sandwich”

Ingredients

“Russian Dressing" Sauce:

1 cup (230g) mayonnaise
⅓ cup (80g) ketchup
2 tsp (8g) Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp (2g) sweet paprika
1 Tbsp (15g) Tabasco sauce
2 Tbsp (30g) yellow mustard
1 Tbsp (4g) chives, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp (15g) grated horseradish, jarred or fresh, preferably fresh
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

‍Sandwich Ingredients:

8 slices sourdough bread
8 slices of provolone cheese
1.5 lbs (680g) mortadella, thinly sliced
Canola oil or cooking spray
1 yellow onion, sliced as thin as possible
8 Tbsp (120g) unsalted butter
8 Tbsp (120g) “Russian dressing” sauce

‍Individual Sandwich Assembly:

2 slices sourdough bread
2 slices of provolone cheese
5 slices mortadella (170g), thinly sliced
2 tsp (8g) vegetable oil
¼ yellow onion, sliced as thin as possible
2 Tbsp (30g) unsalted butter
2 Tbsp (30g) “Russian dressing” sauce

Directions

Make The Russian Dressing: In a small bowl, add mayonnaise, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, hot sauce, mustard, chives, horseradish, and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk to combine.
Heat a 10-inch non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Lightly grease the hot pan using canola oil or cooking spray and add your folded pieces of mortadella into the pan. Add thinly sliced onion to the mortadella and press into the pan with a weight for 2-3 minutes, or until crispy and brown. Flip the mortadella, keeping the onions below the meat. Reduce the heat to medium low, add provolone cheese to the mortadella and cover with a lid or overturned bowl until the cheese is melted, 1-2 minutes. Remove the cheesy mortadella from the pan and set to the side on a warmed plate or small baking sheet.
Add half your butter to the pan and increase heat to medium. Once melted, place one piece of bread in the pan to toast, 1-2 minutes. Spread sauce on the untoasted side facing up and place cheesy mortadella on the bread.
Immediately transfer back to your warmed plate or baking sheet. Add remaining butter to the pan. Once melted, toast your other slice of bread. Remove bread from the pan and spread sauce on the untoasted side followed by additional sauce on your melted cheese. Slice, serve, and enjoy.