For an unusually tasty treat, you just can’t beat a fried bologna sandwich. I know, if you have never had one, you are saying to yourself “How can that be any good?” Just try it, you will find that frying the bologna gives it a unique flavor.
Have you ever been hungry for something, but you’re not sure just what sounds good to you? Well, whenever I feel that way, what usually satisfies me is a bologna sandwich, fried of course.
One of the first meals I ever cooked for myself when I was young, was a fried bologna sandwich. I used to get out the cast iron frying pan and fry the bologna until it started to curl up and become brown. Fried bologna between two slices of white bread, maybe a little mayonnaise. That was a gourmet lunch to me.
Just what is bologna anyway and how did it get its name? American bologna got its name from the northern Italian city of Bologna, where they made a spicy sausage called mortadella bologna. However, by the nineteenth century, in England and America, bologna had become the generic name for any type of pork sausage. Here in America, today though, everyone knows there is really only one bologna.
Over the years, with the invent of the panini grill, I have made an updated version of my childhood favorite. I am not really sure how popular a fried bologna is today. I’m really not sure if it was ever popular, but I sure liked it. I still indulge in one every once in a while.
How to make FRIED BOLOGNA SANDWICH ?
- 3 slices of all-beef bologna
- 2 tbls shredded cheddar or jack cheese
- 2 thinly cut slices of red onion
- 1 whole roasted green chile, sliced lengthwise, canned is fine
- 2 slices of sourdough bread
- 1 tbls mayonnaise
- 1/4 tsp prepared hot creamed horseradish
- olive oil
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Fry the bologna in a frying pan over medium heat for about 2 minutes on each side (I have always used a cast iron frying pan for my bologna.) When it starts to curl, make one slice from the middle of the bologna to the end. That should allow the meat to lay flat in the frying pan. Set aside.
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On the outside of each slice of bread, brush with olive oil. Stir the mayonnaise and horseradish together. Test the horseradish-mayonnaise before using to make sure it is not too hot. If it is, add a little more mayonnaise. Spread the mayonnaise mixture over both inside slices of bread. Place one onion slice on bread, then one piece of chile, one tablespoon of cheese. Layer the bologna over the cheese. Add remaining cheese to bologna, pepper and onion slice. Place other slice of bread on top.
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Place on a preheated panini grill for about 4 to 5 minutes. (If you do not have a panini grill, you can cook this sandwich in a cast iron frying pan) When bread is toasted and cheese has melted, remove sandwich from grill. Serve at once.
