Cubano Sandwich with Sweet Potato Fries
Cubano Sandwich with Sweet Potato Fries
Plus a bonus quick Mac & Cheese recipe from Chef Lola, to use up any leftover pulled pork (or make extra!). Yum!
You’ll love this simple homemade version of a Cuban sandwich, known as a Cubano. Toasted, soft bread piled high with slow-braised pulled pork, sweet roasted piquillo peppers, tangy butter pickles and melted nutty Emmental cheese. We serve this sandwich with a side of sweet potato fries during the summer, plus One Potato Garlic Herb Dip for dipping.
The Cubano is simply a twist on the standard ham-and-cheese sandwich; it’s this simplicity that gives it timeless appeal. In this sandwich, you get the flavorful individual ingredients to speak for themselves, so there’s no need to make an elaborate braising liquid or BBQ sauce. We like to cook up a pork butt in the Instant Pot (to save time and keep your kitchen cooler in the summer) and make extra to have leftovers to use in multiple ways, but to save even more time you can use already braised or pulled pork.
BONUS: We’ve got a recipe from Chef Lola at the end, to make extra delicious use of your leftover braised pork for Pulled Pork Mac & Cheese (you’ll want to have extra pork on hand for this!)
Time-saving hacks:
Use already braised or pulled pork.
Buy your favorite garlic herb dip.
Buy frozen sweet potato fries for your side. We’re a big fan of the Alexia Sweet Potato Fries that you can find at your local grocery store or online.
Use your air fryer to cook your sweet potato fries.
Don’t eat pork?
You can easily substitute juicy brisket or braised chicken in this recipe, or we’ve included a marinade below for making a vegetarian jackfruit Cubano sandwich. Jackfruit takes on the flavors of the marinade, so we heat it in a pan before adding to the sandwich.
Dry Spice Rub
Here’s a quick dry spice rub recipe for you to mix together and save to use in multiple dishes this summer - just pour it into a spice jar, label and date, and keep it on hand. When you’re using it in a recipe, you’ll add additional ingredients like brown sugar, but this is a great base. You should have all these spices in your pantry already.
One Potato Quick Spice Rub (for pork, chicken, steak, etc.)
To make ~⅓ c.
1 Tbsp garlic powder
4 ½ tsp onion powder
1 Tbsp paprika
1 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp ground black pepper
2 tsp ground cumin
One Potato recommends reading through the full recipe, and setting out all the ingredients and equipment before starting to cook - to speed the process. Our kids also treat finding and gathering the ingredients and kitchen tools like a mini treasure hunt.
Cuban Sandwich w/ Sweet Potato Fries
For 4 Servings
One Potato Kitchen Tools: small bowl, large bowl, large skillet or sauté pan, chef’s knife, cutting board,
From Your Pantry: salt (kosher or sea), pepper, canola oil
Total prep & cooking time: 35-45 minutes, not including slow-cooking the pork (6-8 hours or 1 hour in the Instant Pot)
Ingredients:
For braised pork butt:
3 lbs. pork butt (or 3 ½ lbs. bone-in pork butt)
2 c. orange juice
2 c. water
3 bay leaves
3 garlic cloves
5 Tbsp dark brown sugar
¼ c. apple cider vinegar
⅓ c. One Potato Dry spice rub
Vegetarian Option: 2 cups young green jackfruit in water (drained) (usually sold in 14 or 20 oz cans)
4 hero rolls
Dijon mustard (to taste)
4-6 roasted piquillo peppers (from jar, to taste)
4-8 slices Emmental or Swiss cheese
1 lb sweet potato fries or wedges (approx, 3 sweet potatoes)
butter pickles (to taste)
Alternative Instacart Link
Vegetarians: Stock your pantry with young jackfruit
Directions:
Prepare & Cook the Pork:
Prep Spice Rub: Combine the dry spices in a bowl (⅓ c. of spice rub total), then add the brown sugar and ¼ c. of apple cider vinegar to make a paste (slightly wet but not runny - the rub should stick to the meat. Continue adding vinegar 1 tsp at a time, if needed, for a paste consistency). Rub over the pork.
Slow-cook: Add the orange juice, water, bay leaves, and garlic to your slow cooker. Place the spice-rubbed pork butt in the cooker, and slow-cook on a LOW setting for 6-8 hours (or HIGH setting for 4-6 hours). Check the meat after 4 hours; if it is fork tender, easily shreds, it’s ready. If you’re using an Instant Pot, simply cook on high for 45 minute - 1 hour.
Slice or Pull Apart:Carefully remove the pork butt to a large bowl or cutting board. Thinly slice the meat, or use two forks to pull apart. Reserve ½ c. of braising juice from the slow cooker until ready to assemble the sandwiches.
Vegetarian Option:
Prep your marinade: In a small saucepan, combine 1 c. orange juice, ¼ c. apple cider vinegar, ½ c. sugar, ½ c. of spice rub. Over medium-high heat, simmer until combined, stirring occasionally, and starting to thicken.
Warm the jackfruit: Add the jackfruit to the sauce and continue to simmer until well coated, approximately 15 minutes. Set aside until ready to assemble the sandwiches.
Prepare & Cook the Sweet Potato Fries:
Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 450˚F.
Prep Potatoes: Scrub, peel, and slice your sweet potatoes into ¼” thick slices. Place fries in a large bowl, drizzle with olive oil, and season lightly with salt. Toss to coat.
Bake: Arrange fries in a single layer on a baking sheet. (You can use silicone pads or parchment paper to make cleanup easier.) Bake the potatoes until golden brown and crisp, about 20 minutes, tossing halfway in. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with salt to taste.
Assemble the Sandwiches:
Prep Rolls: Lightly oil your baking sheet. Cut the hero rolls in half and spread 1 Tbsp of Dijon evenly on the bottom half of each roll. Place pulled pork or jackfruit on top, including some braising juice, and allow the bread to soak up some of the pork sauce. On the top half of the roll, layer the pickles and piquillo peppers and cover with Emmental cheese.
Pro Tip: If you want to close the sandwiches and bake together to help melt the cheese, you can wrap each composed sandwich roll in foil.
Bake: Place the sandwiches in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the potatoes are golden brown.
Combine the sandwich halves together and serve with the Garlic Herb Dip and any remaining pickles. Enjoy!
Substitutions and Dietary Considerations
Dairy free: Omit the cheese, or use vegan cheese (for topping your sandwiches).
Gluten-free: Use your favorite GF hero rolls.
Substitute the Pork: if you don’t eat pork, you can substitute brisket or chicken. This won’t be a traditional Cuban sandwich, but it will be just as delicious. You can buy a rotisserie chicken or cooked chicken breasts to use, or quickly cook your own chicken breasts - 2 is enough, 4 for leftovers. If using rotisserie chicken, shred and prepare the same way as the jackfruit. If you have an Instant Pot, you can prep the chicken breasts and thighs using our quick spice rub, then place in your cooker with 1 c. water and 1 c. orange juice (enough braising liquid to reach the chicken, but not overflowing) for 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool slightly, shred or thinly slice, and assemble your sandwiches.
Pro Tip: Chicken has a much lower fat content than pork, so it will cook much more quickly.
Vegetarian: Use jackfruit or another protein of your choice.
Ultimate Time-Saving Hacks:
Make-ahead braised pork or buy pre-made from the store.
Buy pre-made garlic herb dip.
Cook the sweet potato fries in your air fryer.
Substitute Side: Buy frozen sweet potato fries and prepare according to the instructions on the bag instead of spending time slicing sweet potatoes.
Getting Kids Involved
Kids love a mess (ours do!) so having them rub the spice rub paste onto the pork is super fun. Make sure hands are well-washed before and after!
Shredding is an easy and gratifying job for kids - all you need is two forks and a high sided dish (to minimize splashing).
Let kids sprinkle the sweet potatoes with the seasoning and toss with their hands. You can also let them experiment with seasonings beyond salt and pepper, adding herbs like oregano, basil, thyme, garlic powder or onion powder.
Kids can help assemble the sandwiches before baking.
Pro Tips
Picky Eaters?
Serve the sandwich as separate ingredients or encourage your kids to assemble their own sandwich, tasting each ingredient, and adding condiments (such as the Dijon and pickles) to their own preference.
Prepare a simple cheese sandwich, and serve the pork/jackfruit and sweet potatoes on the side.
Melty Cheese: Wrap your sandwiches in foil while baking to help keep them together and the cheese nicely melted.
Crispy Sweet Potatoes: Make sure the sweet potato fries/wedges are spread out on the sheet tray. If they’re too close together, they’ll simply steam and won’t be crispy.
Flavor Your Fries: If you like a more flavorful sweet potato fry, toss with a touch of garlic salt for a more robust yet still kid-friendly flavor. You can also use our quick One Potato Steak Seasoning Rub (from the DIY Steak Salad Recipe for a more complex flavor - this is why we recommend making a batch and keeping it on hand, to add flavor to all kinds of dishes. Save your homemade spice mixes in these shake top spice jars.
BONUS TIP! We’ve been encouraging you to build up your sauce and dip library. You can always serve the One Potato Blue Cheese Dip, a flavored aioli, or horseradish dip on the side.
Eager to get the most out of grilling outside this summer? Once your meat is prepared, you can grill your sweet potatoes and assemble your sandwiches to cook on the grill outside instead of using your oven in the summer heat.
To prepare this meal on the grill:
Prep your sweet potato fries: Parboil whole sweet potatoes for 10-15 minutes, and then slice into wedges when cool enough to handle (½” thick, you want these slightly thicker than the fries you bake in the oven). Same as step 2 above, place fries in a large bowl, drizzle with olive oil, and season lightly with salt. Toss to coat.
Grill the fries: Over an open grill, medium-heat (or 400° on a gas grill), lightly oil and preheat your grill basket or flat grill topper. Arrange the sweet potato fries in a single layer, and cook for 2-3 minutes per side, rotating when grill marks appear. Remove from the grill, sprinkle with salt to taste, and let rest for 5-10 minutes for crispy sweet potato fries.
Grill your sandwich: Heat your grill to medium-high heat (around 450°) and allow the grill grates to heat to cooking temperature. Prep the sandwiches as above, and then butter or lightly oil the outside of the hero rolls. Wrap the sandwich in foil, and press down to lightly flatten. Place the wrapped sandwiches on the grill, and top with a grill press. Grill for 4-5 minutes per side.
Use those leftovers:
Chef Lola’s Quick Pulled Pork Mac & Cheese!
You know who’s always hungry? College students. I’ve whipped up meals for thousands of them in dining halls (serving 3,000 a day!), making sure we had options for everyone – from vegans to folks with allergies. Everything was homemade from scratch, no shortcuts!
Whenever we had pulled pork on the menu, I’d make extra just so we could serve up pulled pork mac & cheese the next day. Made with pepperjack cheese and BBQ sauce, it was a hit. We always sold out because the kids couldn’t get enough of it. It wasn’t a regular thing, but when it was offered, oh boy, did it fly off the shelves!
Want to make it yourself? Super easy. Just take your leftover pork, cook up some mac & cheese, mix it all together, and bake. Do you remember One Potato’s homemade Mac & Cheese recipe? Don’t worry, we’ll be sharing that with our recipe and directions for making your own béchamel sauce. But here’s my lowdown for a super quick & easy version, using ingredients you have in your fridge and pantry already:
Quick and Easy Mac & Cheese
Kitchen Tools: large bowl, large pot, sauce pan, baking dish, colander
Ingredients:
8 oz dried elbow macaroni or GF macaroni
Cheese Sauce:
¼ c. unsalted butter
¼ c. all-purpose flour
2 c. whole milk
2 c. cheddar cheese (grated)
1 c. pepper jack or gruyere cheese (whatever cheese you have in your fridge, or is your family favorite!)
Pro Tip: Use block cheese that you grate yourself, not the pre-shredded kind – pre-shredded is usually wax-coated. It won’t melt for your mac & cheese!
Pre-heat your oven to 350º F
Even quicker and easier? Cook up your favorite brand of box Mac & Cheese, and follow the instructions. When cooking the pasta, you want it to be super al-dente because you’ll be sticking this dish in the oven to finish cooking. Jump to step 4. Easy peasy.
Homemade Mac & Cheese:
Pasta: Cook super al dente (about 6 minutes).
Pro Tip: Don’t overcook – it’ll keep cooking in the oven.
Cheese Sauce:
Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.
Add flour and whisk quickly into the butter for ~2 minutes.
When the flour-butter mixture (this is known as a roux) is ready, add ¼ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp onion powder, and ¼ tsp mustard powder. Add salt and pepper to taste.
When the butter and flour mixture resembles breadcrumbs, start adding your milk. Gradually whisk in the milk, being sure not to boil (NO BOILING!). Continue to stir constantly for ~4 minutes, thickening.
Remove from heat and stir in the grated cheddar cheese until melted.
Keep stirring and add the final cup of pepper jack cheese. When the sauce coats the back of a spoon, you’re ready to mix it with the pasta.
Putting It All Together
Drain the pasta and put in a large mixing bowl.
Add the cheese sauce to your cooked pasta until it’s well coated, reserving a small amount if you would like to use it to top the composed Mac & Cheese with Pulled Pork baking dish.
Mix in your leftover pulled pork.
Bake
Lightly spray your baking dish and pour in the pulled pork mac & cheese mixture.
Add more cheese sauce on top, BBQ sauce if you like, and sprinkle some shredded cheese if you’re feeling extra cheesy.
Pop it in the oven at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes until it’s golden, bubbly, and smells amazing.
Serve with a side salad, and you’re golden!
Lola’s Pro Tips:
Dietary considerations: GF pasta will work perfectly, and if you’re vegan/dairy-free, Annie’s is a great mac & cheese base here!
You can prep this ahead of time and just bake it when you’re ready to chow down.
Like it super cheesy? Add more cheese to taste.
Enjoy, everyone!
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