These are big fat party sandwiches.  These are the sandwiches that saved a party’s life a long time ago and catapulted me to start a food blog.

We were invited to a very large potluck goodbye party. Something stirred in me all day, as I worried that there wouldn’t be enough good food. The gal we were saying goodbye to was known for her culinary talent and the food she brought to gatherings.

I wanted the food to be deserving of her, so I made five dishes, including these big fat party sandwiches.

I’m a little obsessive like that. It’s not that I knocked myself out  in the kitchen the whole day. I merely put together the best big fat party sandwiches, special enough to celebrate a person who knew her food.

Ingredients like prosciutto, mozzarella, pistou, arugula were tucked into a long crusty bread baguettes  (store bought) for one of the sandwiches.  You can add in hard salami other Italaian meats if you desire. I also made ham, swiss, butter, mustard. I like that combination too.  If you use butter, use Irish butter. People will go crazy! I think mayo should be avoided for any kind of potluck, but that’s just me.

Why You Should Make Your Own Big Fat Party Sandwiches

You might be thinking that the local grocery store can make you big fat party sandwiches, but they never make them big and fat. The only big you usually get is too much bread and not enough meat. You also typically won’t get caprese or prosciutto, unless you’re in Italy, but then you don’t need my help.

How to Purchase Prosciutto for Your Big Fat Party Sandwiches

Prosciutto di Parma is expensive, You could be spending $28 a pound. There’s a reason prosciutto di parma is so expensive, and I talk about that in this post. But, sometimes you can find a decent prosciutto, locally made that will be more affordable. You can also shop for Boar’s Head which is reasonable in price.

Scoop out some of the inside of the bread after it’s cut lengthwise. You don’t need all that filler. When you use prosciutto, you don’t need as much as you do with regular ham, because the flavor is there. You could think of these as more caprese sandwich with prosciutto.

Back to that party that inspired these sandwiches. My five dishes disappeared quickly and two women fought over the last of these cupcakes, which have a gluten free counterpart.

This recipe is more inspiration than anything exact. You can leave out the prosciutto to make the sandwiches completely vegetarian. The pistou is a basil/olive oil condiment that adds a lot of punch for the mellow mozzarella.

Pistou is easy to make. It’s just olive oil, garlic and basil. (no cheese).

Tips for Making the Best Party Sandwiches

• Make sure the bread is crusty, not doughy. Do not use soft rolls, wrapped in plastic. Do not wrap the sandwiches in plastic, once made. Instead use foil; otherwise the bread will be soft and go soggy.
• Make sandwiches ahead, but do not add tomato or pistou/olive oil until right before serving.
• If making fresh and serving immediately, take the mozzarella out of the refrigerator 30 minutes in advance. It will taste better.
• If you can’t use FRESH mozzarella, opt for a different cheese, such as fontina or provolone.
• Use toothpicks to hold the sandwiches together, but make sure your guests can see them.  Use toothpicks like these.

If you’re entertaining gluten free guests, take these same ingredients and make an antipasto or big Italian cold cut salad.

You can also add in this amazing Cheese Plate. Yes, that’s prosciutto with melon. The women tend to gravitate to this.

You may also like these prosciutto appetizers for your party.

Prosciutto Cups

Prosciutto Tuscan White Bean Bruschetta

Prosciutto Crepes

Prosciutto Pear Pizza

Blackberry Shallot Crostini with Crispy Prosciutto

More Appetizers and Small Bites from Spinach Tiger

Crostini Recipes from Spinach Tiger

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Prosciutto Party Sandwich

Prosciutto mozzarella pesto in big fat crusty french bread, perfect for parties..

Course Sandwich

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 long french baguettes any kind or size you like
• 1/2 pound prosciutto
• 10-15 slices fresh mozzarella or provolone cheese or fontina
• 1/2 cup pistou recipe here
• fresh tomato slices
• salt and pepper for seasoning

Instructions

• Slice french bread lengthwise
• Remove some of the inside bread (optional). I like less bread.
• Layer meat, cheese, tomato. Add pistou.
• If you don't have pistou, layer chopped basil (chopped put on at the very last minute before serving) with drizzled olive oil. Feel free to add a smattering of oregano or Italian seasoning.
• Season with salt and pepper
• Cut cross wise into two-three inch pieces.

Notes

I also like to make French inspired ham and cheese, using cold butter, mustard, ham and cheese. You can however, mix a grainy dijon mustard with mayonnaise for an easy sandwich spread. Fill with arugula or mache as your green.

If you don't have pesto, layer chopped basil (chopped put on at the very last minute before serving) with drizzled olive oil. Feel free to add a smattering of oregano or Italian seasoning.
Season with salt and pepper
Cut cross wise into two-three inch pieces.

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