How to Make Anthony Bourdain's 5-Ingredient Mortadella Sandwich
This sandwich could not be easier to make and takes five minutes to assemble, if not less. And speaking of five, all you need are five ingredients:
Mortadella
Provolone
A roll (Bourdain recommends sourdough or a Kaiser roll)
Dijon mustard (yellow mustard works, too)
Mayonnaise (I opted for my favorite mayo)
The star of the sandwich is mortadella, an Italian cold cut that is best described as luxurious bologna. It's similar to bologna but higher quality and (in my opinion) better tasting. Some mortadella has pistachios in it, and there's even a spicy version with little pops of fiery Calabrian chili pepper in it. You could use bologna, but opt for as thinly sliced as you can get. Since, like bologna, the thinner it is, the more beautifully mortadella fries up, getting caramelized and crispy.
Thankfully, this is pretty much the only cooking you'll do to make this sandwich and what makes it so darn good: Heat up a skillet or frying pan on medium-high heat. Once it's pretty hot, add a tiny bit of neutral oil to ensure the mortadella doesn't stick. Make three small piles of mortadella by gently folding and clumping 2 to 3 pieces on each other. If the piles are a little messy or lopsided, don't fret, it will actually make for even more crispy, irresistible edges.
Add each mortadella pile to the pan and allow it to get browned and crispy, which will taken about a minute or so. Once they're crisped, flip the mortadella piles and add a slice or two of provolone cheese to each pile. If a little provolone hangs over the side, all the better—that will turn into an unbelievably delicious crispy cheese "skirt". When the other side of the mortadella is browned, carefully stacked the piles one on top of another in one big stack. The residual heat will melt the rest of the cheese.
Slice your bun in half and toast each side in the remaining grease in the hot skillet until they're golden brown. Add a smear of mayo to one bun half and a smear of mustard to the other. Put it all together and dig in.
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