The Perfect Hoagie
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A Note from Feedfeed
A sandwich is much more than throwing meat and veggies on a roll. Here, ACookieNamedDesire shows us how to build the perfect hoagie and its all about the ingreidents. She loves the sweetness of honey roasted turkey, with creamy Land O Lakes® Deli American with lots of pickled toppings. Follow her guidelines to make the best hoagies for some gameday snacks!
Click here for more Deli American inspired sandwiches!
- Recipe Card
Recipe Card
ingredients
- Bread of choice
- Oil
- Land O Lakes® Deli American
- Honey roasted turkey or oven roasted chicken
- Lettuce
- Tomato
- Onion
- Oregano, salt, and pepper
- A few dashes red or white wine vinegar
The Bread
Method
Step 1
Choosing the right bread for your hoagie is pretty simple. You need a roll that isn't too soft. It needs to withstand a lot of meat, cheese, veggies, and other toppings. In that vein, it also needs to be wide enough to contain everything. Some people prefer a crustier exterior, while others prefer something more chewy. Some even like sesame seeds. In my opinion, chewy is better than crusty. Your sandwich should be full to the brim and a crusty roll makes it harder for you to control the bread enough to get a full bite. Chewy happens to be the most popular option in most shops unless you specifically ask for a different type of bread.
Step 2
Gut the bread or don't gut? Honestly, we’re all friends here so I feel comfortable saying this. If you are gutting your hoagie roll, you have to stop. To build a proper hoagie, you have to keep all that bread. Your roll simply wouldn't be able to handle all the, meat, cheese, and topping you are adding in later. Don't gut your hoagie.
The Oil
Step 1
Oil is optional, but my advice is not to skip it. Some places use plain old vegetable or canola oil. But I recommend using extra virgin olive oil. Drizzle the oil lightly on the bread so it has time to absorb and not get everything oily when you are eating. Also, while we are on this subject, some people like to then also add mayo. That's totally up to you, but a good hoagie doesn't need it.
The Cheese
Step 1
The type of cheese you use may depend on the type of hoagie you are making, but around the Philly area, it is firmly believed that Deli American is a standard that never fails. I prefer Land O Lakes® Deli American because it is creamy and gets sliced fresh to order at the deli counter. I highly recommend it as your cheese option for your hoagie. The cheese acts as a delicious, creamy barrier between the bread and the other ingredients which may add too much moisture into your roll and leave you with a soggy mess. So right after you add your oil, add your cheese, and add enough to cover your bread.
The Meats
Step 1
Probably one of the most important decisions in making a good hoagie is choosing the meat. You want something with a good flavor as your main meat. Whether it's roast beef, ham, turkey, or whatever. Then, you need something a little spicier to give more depth to the hoagie. A nice salami or pepperoni is really good. If you want to go traditional Italian - and you should as often as you can - you want to go for some Genoa salami, sopressata, capicola, and pepperoni. Personally, I don't eat beef or ham, so I tend to go with a honey roasted turkey or oven roasted chicken. I'd love some deli pepperoni, but I have to go for the turkey pepperoni which is usually in the smaller slices. Still very tasty.
Lettuce, Tomato, Onion and Other Add-ins
Step 1
Some people like to be fancy and add something like arugula to their hoagies. That's cool. I like the pepperiness of arugula and think it can work. The only thing is, it can't be your only green. You need something with crunch. The traditional route is iceberg, but I prefer romaine. Either way, make sure it's shredded (it's pretty easy to do if you start off with thin julienne cuts). I come from Jersey and we are known for our juicy tomatoes. They can't be beat. If you are in the tri-state area and can get some in summer and early fall, do it. Otherwise, a nice beefsteak or roma would do. The type of onion you use is up to you. I prefer red onions in just about every application. This is true here, too. You need to make sure your onions are sliced thin. I also soak my onions in water to tone down any bitterness
The Extras
Step 1
To finish your hoagie, you can you want a sprinkle of oregano, salt, and pepper. I also like to add a few dashes of red or white wine vinegar.