The Fabulous, Legendary Fried Provolone and Tomato Sandwich
★★★★★
PREP TIME
15 minutes
MAKES
2 sandwiches
Ingredients
2
to 4 1/4-inch slices provolone cheese
1 splash
Olive oil for frying (doesn't have to be your best bottle)
4 tablespoons
your favorite mayonnaise, plus more as needed
4
1/2-inch thick slices sturdy, country-style bread
1
medium-sized ripe tomato, preferably heirloom
1 pinch
Flaky salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Add a thin layer of olive oil to the bottom of a heavy-bottomed skillet and heat until shimmering. Carefully add the slices of provolone and let them fry until crusty and golden on the outside but still gooey in the center, about 2 to 3 minutes total, carefully flipping them halfway through. (Flipping them is tricky and messy, and you'll probably curse my name, but it can be done—just be careful not to splatter yourself. Using a nonstick pan is also helpful.) Once it's done, carefully remove it from the pan, allowing any excess oil to drip back into the pan, and blot it gently on a paper towel.
- Spread the mayonnaise evenly across four slices of bread, adding more as desired. Core the tomato and cut it into 4 slices. Place the fried cheese on 2 of the slices of bread, layer 2 tomato slices on each piece of bread, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then top with the 2 remaining slices of bread. Grab lots of napkins and dig in.
