How to Make the Ultimate Sandwich

In honor of National Sandwich Day (Sunday, November 3), we asked Bonanno for his tips on how to make the ultimate sandwich.

THE BREAD: “A sandwich is all about the bread,” Bonanno says.

• Go for a soft (not crunchy) baguette.
• If your baguette or bread is too thick, remove some of the middle.

 

THE MEATS

• Slice your meats paper-thin, and don’t be afraid to insist upon this at the deli. “You have to stand up for your sandwich,” Bonanno says.

• If you’re buying salami or prosciutto, make sure they’re sliced extra thin and layered individually on parchment paper. Otherwise, they’ll stick together.

• High-quality is important, and Boar’s Heads meats is Bonanno’s trustworthy brand of choice.

• If you can, cook your own meats at home. Salt & Grinder roasts its own beef for sandwiches like the Rare Beast, with rare roast beef, mayo, salt, pepper, lettuce, and tomato.

 

THE VEGGIES

• The rule of thin slicing applies here, too. Overly chunky vegetables will fall out of your sandwich.

• For lettuce, Bonanno prefers iceberg shaved as thinly as possible so it’s not just a “flat soggy piece of lettuce.”

• Bonanno also likes adding pepperoncini for spice and marinated cherry peppers that he makes himself. “Anything homemade really makes a difference,” he says.

 

THE CHEESE: Bonanno loves a high quality American cheese in small doses, so as not to overpower the other flavors.

 

THE CONDIMENTS: Bonanno likes to make pesto from his garden, and makes all his vinaigrettes fresh daily—both at home and at Salt & Grinder.

 

SECRET INGREDIENTS: “Salt and pepper are the most left behind ingredients,” Bonanno says. “Don’t forget to season—I can’t stress that enough.”

 

GENERAL SANDWICH-MAKING WISDOM

• “Create your sandwich like you are creating any other dish. Balance the ratio of meats, veggies, and condiments.”
• While a bag of chips is fine now and then, stellar sides take the sandwich experience to the next level. Salt & Grinder puts as much thought into their sides as they do their sandwiches.
• Don’t forget about breakfast sandwiches! “The fried egg sandwich is the quintessential East Coast breakfast,” Bonanno explains. A few times a year, he takes his boys back East and starts the day at a bodega or local deli with a simple sandwich on a toasted Kaiser roll with an over-easy egg, salt, pepper, and pork roll or bacon. “Typically, you put ketchup on it, but my kids hate ketchup on their egg sandwiches,” Bonanno says.