Gerber Sandwiches

I have mentioned many times that we previously lived in St. Louis and I often rave about the food. In my opinion, the food in my part of Florida is uninspired and bland. Although I love living in Florida (because of the beautiful weather), I absolutely miss the food in St. Louis. One of those foods I miss is a simple sandwich that I can, and often do, replicate. This is the Gerber Sandwhich. The Gerber sandwich started at a restaurant in St. Louis called Ruma’s Deli. As a teenager I worked there and ate these daily. Yummm. This sandwich is often requested in my home. I hope you will give it a try and come to love it as we do!

Gerber Sandwiches

Ingredients:

·         1 loaf French bread

·         1/4 cup garlic butter, spread

·         3/4 lb deli ham

·         1/2 lb provolone cheese, sliced thin

·         paprika

·          

Directions:

Slice the loaf of French bread lengthwise. Place on a cookie sheet. Generously spread butter on both pieces of bread. Here is where my version differs… At this point we put our sandwich in under the broiler (keeping an eye on and never leaving. It will burn before you know it!) until slightly browned. Remove and put a layer of ham on both pieces of bread. Top the ham with a layer of cheese. Sprinkle with paprika if desired. We usually skip the paprika.

Place this back in the oven on 350°F for about 15 minutes or until cheese is melted. This is an open-face sandwich.