A Giant Hero Sandwich for Dad

Super heroes don’t always wear capes and tights or fly through the air. Nope, some modern day heroes wear shorts and a t-shirt and answer to, “Dad!” And with Father’s Day quickly approaching, it’s time to start thinking about how we can honor the heroes in our lives.

Why not make him something he would really love to eat? This year, use your own super powers to make an awesome hero sandwich for dad.

Yield: 12 (2 inch) slices

Ingredients

Bread

• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) Challenge Butter
• 1/3 cup onion, finely diced
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed and divided
• 2 loaves frozen bread dough, thawed according to directions
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Champion Cheese Spread

• 1 tub Challenge Whipped Cream Cheese
• 2 to 3 tablespoons pepperoncini or banana peppers, diced
• 1/4 cup roasted red bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup olives, diced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/8 cup fresh basil, diced
• 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Pickled Onions

• 1/2 red onion, cut into thin slices
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Sandwich

• 1 pound assorted Italian deli meats of your choice
• 1 large tomato, thinly sliced
• 1 cup lettuce, finely shredded

Instructions

Bread

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a medium size skillet, melt the butter, add onions and cook until softened and light golden brown (about 5 minutes.)
3. Stir in two cloves of garlic and remove from heat.
4. Place thawed bread dough on a parchment lined baking sheet.
5. Form dough into two loaves (about 12 inches long.)
6. Brush tops with butter mixture and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
7. Bake loaves for 20 to 25 minutes or as directed on package.
8. Let cool and cut in half horizontally with a serrated knife.

Pickled Onions

1. In a small bowl combine sliced red onion, vinegar, sugar and salt.
2. Add just enough water to cover onions.
3. Let pickle for at least one hour.

Champion Cheese Spread

1. In a medium bowl, combine the whipped cream cheese, the remaining two cloves of garlic, pepperoncini, olives, oregano, basil and Cheddar cheese.

Sandwich

1. Spread mixture on top portion of each bread loaf.
2. Fold deli meats in half and arrange on bottom portion of bread followed by the slices of tomato.
3. Top with shredded lettuce and pickled onions.
4. Add cheese covered top portion.
5. Cut into 2 inch pieces.
6. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

There are three simple things you can do to keep this hero sandwich far from ordinary. First, go the extra mile and bake your own bread. It’s super easy, especially with help from some frozen bread dough. Nothing sets the mood like fresh baking bread, and you know something amazing is in store when you smell it baking.

Next, create an extraordinary savory cheese spread full of Italian flavors. It gives this handcrafted sandwich a big kick of “yum.” Lastly, for its crowning glory, make your own pickled onions. Pickling the onions replaces the typical harshness with a sweet and tangy flavor. Put all of these items together with his favorite Italian deli meat, and you have one incredible sandwich fit for a hero.

Tip: To make this sandwich extra special, consider making a flag to stick in the middle of your Hero sandwich. Print out your greeting on your computer, glue to a piece of scrapbooking paper and attach a long toothpick. Stick in the middle of your sandwich so everyone can know who your Hero is!

Attribution

Recipe and photo used with permission from: Challenge Dairy
By Suzanne Clark