Melissa’s Fancy Sandwiches

This sandwich will make all of your sweet & savory dreams come true. The salty ham and prosciutto meet their match when combined with the smooth, luscious Brie that’s smeared into the nooks & crannies of the crusty Ciabatta roll. It reaches the next level with a delicious, sweet punch to your tastebuds the Fig preserves adds. This fancy sandwich is perfectly fit for a meal or as part of an amazing appetizer spread!

I don’t know what it is about me, but “why are you like this?” is, like, the question that I would say both my husband and brother probably wonder about me as a person more than any other question. I’m just weirdly opinionated about things that people don’t really need to have strong opinions about, and then, when it comes to things that really matter, those things that it would probably be a good idea to have an opinion about, I just don’t 🤷🏻‍♀️🙃. I’ll give you a for-instance.

My dad came every week to take my brother and I out to dinner and hang out after school when I was growing up. I was in high school when one time we went to some normal chain restaurant that had your regular, run-of-the-mill food. I was feeling chicken fingers with fries and ranch. Always ranch. You know, #healthyfood. Whatever. I had practiced the dialogue that would take place in my head, it would be the same as any other time at a restaurant. I knew what I was going to order, I was ready.  Our waitress comes to take our order. It was my turn.

“Uh, yes, I would like the chicken fingers… with ranch,” I said, watching her write down my order. “Actually, wait, like… how breaded are the chicken fingers?”

You know in movies when someone does something embarrassing and there’s like the scratch of a record playing and then silence ensues? Think of that sound right now. And if you’re my brother, you are actively face-palming right now.

She’s confused. “Ummmm…?” she said, looking at my dad, bewildered. Max & Erma’s did not pay her enough for this question. “They’re breaded… like chicken fingers, you know, are…?”

My dad is at a loss. My brother is literally melting into his seat due to the sheer mortification of my inquiry.

“Hm,” I murmur and quickly peruse the menu, “Okay, well, that’s vague,” I told her definitively, “Forget it, I’ll have a bacon cheeseburger.” Because, again, #healthyfood.

What I was looking for in her answer was something descriptive. She could have said “listen here, little girl, they’re frozen and come out of a bag, I don’t know what to tell you,” or something like, “oh, we hand bread them with panko before we fry them.” Literally anything. But she didn’t. And I guess that’s a perfect example of why someone might ask me, “Why are you like this?” because this question and her bewilderment did not need to happen, and if I didn’t actually have a preference in how breaded chicken fingers were, I could have just stuck with my order and no one would have had to experience that moment, but I do have a preference and that’s why both my dad and brother still, to this day, say “that’s vague, I’ll have a hamburger” anytime someone answers a question without a certain amount of specificity.

Now, I’m sure you’re wondering why this memory is worth even sharing when it comes to the fact that I’m about to share with you the method in which I made the best sandwich I have had in recent (and not-so-recent) history. I’m sharing that story with you to show you that I have opinions. And when I tell you that I, as a rule, really don’t believe a cold sandwich belongs as a dinner food, it’s serious. I believe that. But this sandwich? This sandwich can be a meal at any time, and I’ve had/made it for dinner a few times now, and I’m over the moon about it every time. So, friends, trust me when I say this sandwich is bomb.com. You’re going to love it.

It was New Year’s Eve when we went to my friend’s house to ring in 2020. Her spread was cray, you guys. You know those people who make enough food to feed the Russian army even if there aren’t going to be that many people around? Those people that make alternatives to the alternatives because they want to make sure there’s something for everyone? Those people that make too much because the question “OMG what if there’s not enough?” plagues them from deep inside of their soul? These people are my people. I am that person. And so is my friend Melissa.

I spotted the sandwiches before I noticed her charcuterie platter, if we’re being honest. I was scanning her countertop and taking it all in, thinking about how I could possibly fit all the things I wanted to eat onto one plate; I would need to prioritize and make more than one trip around. But that sandwich? It was going on the plate the first go-round. And when my husband tried to take it from my plate to take just “one bite, come on!” I stiff-armed him and told him to get his own.

A critical part is making this already delicious ciabatta roll even more delicious. I’m not sure if, in 1762, when the sandwich was invented, they thought that this toasting of the bread would remain integral to the deliciousness of a handheld food, but bless them. For those of us watching our caloric intake or counting points, I used this Olive Oil spray I found at Trader Joe’s to spray each side of the roll lightly and then I dusted each side with a little S&P and garlic powder (because I was lazy and didn’t feel like getting a real clove out to rub each side. Now that I’m really thinking about this, I should have roasted a head of garlic and then spread out some roasted garlic on it. NEXT TIME. I put the roll(s) in a preheated oven (400 degrees, I think?) for at least 5 mins just to get it warmed up and slightly toasted.

While my bread was toasting, I got my other ingredients prepped and ready. This includes weighing out the meats involved. If you’re not tracking, add whatever amount looks great to you, but since I’m on this #weightlossjourney and I am tracking my points, measuring and weighing my food is a necessary evil in my life. I was also annoying AF at my grocery store AND Trader Joe’s because I sat in front of the pre-packaged deli meats forever scanning the various brands of carved ham to see if there was a difference in the amount of points per volume. I ultimately decided on Hillshire Farms instead of Oscar Meyer but now that I think about it, I’m not sure there was a difference. I did decide on the prosciutto from Trader Joe’s instead of my regular grocery store because this brand, Citterio Proscuitto di Parma, was 2 slices for 1 point instead of some other brands that are 1 slice for 2 points. More bang for my buck. That’s what I’m about when it comes to my WW Points.

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Once my bread was toasted, I smeared my bread with brie and fig jam. I used one wedge of Presidente Wee Brie on the top side and ½ tablespoon of Trader Joe’s Fig Butter on the bottom (I don’t know why I made that call, it probably didn’t matter 😂). I did put some freshly cracked pepper on the side with the brie.

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Once each side is smeared, I layered on both types of meat and piled on the arugula. Top the sandwich with the top side of the bun and you’re set to slice and consume!

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Behold: a delicious, every-bite-is-perfect sandwich that is entirely worthy of being served at dinner time. I served it with carrot fries, and I was completely satisfied.

What I noticed about the ingredients of this sandwich is that it probably relies entirely on shopping for what you’re willing to spend points on. For example, I scanned a couple brands of Fig Preserves at my local grocery stores and found that I was more willing to get the Fig Butter from Trader Joe’s than the convenience of using the brand that the grocery store 1.5 miles away from my house had in stores because it came out to one less point. If you’re willing to hunt for it, you can find lower point options, but the sandwich would taste good with any brand or type of the general ingredients.

Pro Tip:

This Fancy Sandwich transforms nicely into a thin crust pizza also. Just as a delectable, riffable dining alternative, try using the skinny pizza dough recipe from My Bizzy Kitchen. When I did this, I spread the brie right onto the pizza dough, sprinkled the brie with the addition of some caramelized onions, sliced prosciutto, diced up the carved ham and topped with a light dusting of fat free mozzarella. I baked the pizza for about 15 minutes (I used 4 oz of dough and rolled it out thin!) and then topped the finished pizza with arugula that I had dressed lightly in spray olive oil, lemon juice and a pinch of kosher salt. Finally, I drizzled the fig butter on top of everything (I diluted the fig butter with a little bit of water and warmed it up for 15 seconds so I could stir it to a more liquidly consistency that allowed for drizzling). Give it a try!!

Did you try this recipe? I’d love to see how it turned out!
Snap a photo and tag @glimpseofgrace on Instagram!

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