There’s truly something quite spectacular about the flavor combination on a Cuban sandwich. The salt, the spice, the tang…is it the pickle and mustard…is it the spiced pork and cheese?
Then, there’s the crunch of the crust.
It’s spectacular.
You know what else is amazing?
The sweet goodness of an oven roasted sweet potato inside a crunchy salt crust. You’ll never eat a sweet potato another way again, and you may just convert your Cuban sammy bun to the sublime, salubrious satisfaction of an oven roasted sweet tater!
A Cuban sandwich is a variation of a ham and cheese sandwich that originated in cafes catering to Cuban workers in Key West and Ybor City, Tampa, two early Cuban immigrant communities in Florida. Later on, Cuban exiles and expatriates brought it to Miami, where it is also still very popular. The sandwich is made with ham, roasted pork, Swiss cheese, pickles, mustard, and salami on Cuban bread. The later variation of the sandwich that emerged in Miami excludes salami.
In 2012, the “Historic Tampa Cuban Sandwich” was designated as the “signature sandwich of the city of Tampa” by the Tampa City Council.
Roasted Cuban Sweet Potato
1 large sweet potato
1 Tbs. olive oil or butter
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 lb. ground pork
1/8 tsp. sea salt
1/8 tsp. ground pepper
1/8 tsp. cumin seeds
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
dash of red pepper flakes
2 Tbs. butter, softened
1 Tbs. stone ground mustard
sliced pickles
Swiss cheese
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Rub the sweet potato in oil and brush with coarse salt. Bake for about 2 1/2 hours, roasting until super crispy and crunchy on the outside and uber soft on the inside.
Meanwhile, cook the ground pork over medium heat, breaking up with the back of a wooden spoon. Season with salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, and red pepper flakes.
Whip together the butter and mustard.
Once the potato is done, slice open, slather with the butter mustard, top with the pork, pickles, and some good Swiss cheese.
Best damn Cuban you’ll ever have!
