Grilled Turkey Cuban Sandwich Recipe

Here's how I make a turkey sandwich with leftover turkey thanks to a recipe from Bobby Flay. Flay was sponsored by Hellman's, so he specified this brand. Since I like Hellman's, too, I have left the brand names in the recipe.

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Prep Time 25

Servings: 1 sandwich

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: American, Cuban

Ingredients

2 tablespoons Hellman's Dijonnaise Mustard
1 tablespoon cranberry relish
1 dash Morton Coarse Kosher Salt
1 dash finely ground black pepper
2 slices Italian bread
4 slices Swiss cheese
2 slices thinly sliced deli ham
3 slices sliced turkey
4 slices dill pickle
2 tablespoons Hellmann's Real Mayonnaise

Method

Whisk together the Dijonnaise and cranberry relish in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper.
Put the bread on a flat surface and spread each slice with some of the Dijonnaise mixture. Top 1 of the slices of bread with the cheese, ham, turkey another slice of cheese, and pickles (in that order). Place the remaining bread on top, mayonnaise side down.
There are different ways to cook this sandwich so here's the concept: We're going to crisp and brown the exterior by coating it with mayo and then applying the medium heat. Here are the details:
a) Panini press. Pre-heat a panini press. Slather the bottom with 1 tablespoon mayo, sit it on the press, and slaterh the top, close the press. Remove when GAD (golden and delicious).
b) Frying pan. Wrap a brick in heavy duty aluminum foil (if not using a panini press) and preheat the pan over a medium flame. Coat the bottom with mayo, put the sandwich in, coat the top, and place the brick on top. When the bottom is golden, after 2 to 3 minutes, flip it and cook the other side.
c) Griddling. When I griddle sandwiches I use the flat side of two griddles, one on top and one on bottom. Works just like a panini press.
d) Grilling. Setup the grill for direct cooking, but keep the temp medium on a gas grill or, on a charcoal grill, spread the coals out in one layer so they are not touching. Clean the hot grill grates on well. Put the sandwich on the grill and press it down with a brick wrapped in foil or a heavy pan. Don't wander off. In about two minutes peak at the bottom. Get the bread golden brown or as dark as you like it, but don't burn it. Flip and repeat. If the edges char a bit, scrape off the char with a light touch on a serrated steak knife.
As an alternative, put the sandwich in a pie iron and put it over the hot part of the grill.
Cut in half and serve warm.
Photo of Bobby Flay courtesy of Bobby Flay.

Notes

About the Dijonnaise. Dijonnaise is a blend of mayo and Dijon-style mustard. If you don't have it, use 3 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard with 1 tablespoon mayo.

About the salt. Remember, kosher salt is half the concentration of table salt so if you use table salt, use half as much. Click here to read more about salt and how it works.