The Gillespie Sandwich became a thing thanks to my hubs – David. He loves a good ‘wich. One of his favorites is called “The Juneau” at the Sozial Haus in Fredericksburg, Texas.

When we were dealing with Covid – 19 and not dining out, I attempted to recreate this sandwich. I succeeded in creating a dang good version, but I still needed a name. David figured the guy who owned the restaurant named it “The Juneau” because he found this great sandwich while visiting Juneau, Alaska. Is this true?

Who knows – I guess I could always ask the owner. Regardless, I went with David’s assumption and decided to name my creation after the county where David discovered it – Gillespie. Works for me, and this sandwich will work for you too. I promise.

Ingredients

4 ciabatta rolls (or any soft hoagie roll you love)

8 thin sliced tomatoes

4 genereous pieces of torn lettuce

Olive Salad

12 slices pepperoni (the thinner the better)

4 slices smoked ham

8 slices of salami

Garlic basil Mayo

8 slices mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Slice open the rolls.
2. Spread each side with a generous portion of the garlic basil mayo.
3. Top one side of each roll with two thin slices of tomato.
4. Place a piece of torn lettuce over the tomatoes.
5. On the other side of the bread, place three thinly sliced pieces of pepperoni on top of the garlic mayo.
6. Top the pepperoni with smoked ham.
7. Next, add 2 slices of salami over smoked ham.
8. Top each side with a slice of mozzarella cheese.
9. Spread the olive salad over each slice of mozzarella cheese.
10. Place the sandwiches in the oven open faced at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, until hot and bubbly. This usually takes around 3-5 minutes.
11. Remove the sandwiches from the oven.
12. Carefully, place the sandwich halves together.
13. Serve immediately.

Tips

1. I chose the ciabatta rolls because they had just come out of the bakery oven at HEB grocery. So, I knew they were soft.
2. I would use Pepperidge Farm Hoagie Rolls for a softer roll if the ciabattas are more than an a day old.
3. The olive salad takes about 3 minutes to make. So, don’t skimp on that. You don’t even need to let it marinate before using.
4. If I am using my olive salad as a sandwich spread, I will puree the ingredients into a tapenade type texture for easier spreading. That is totally optional, and the olive salad works either way.
5. If you don’t have all the ingredients for my olive salad on hand, you can use slice black olives and sliced pepperoncini peppers as a layer on the sandwich. It’s better than nothing, but, it’s not the same as using my olive salad.

Enjoy! And don’t forget to drop me a comment below if you love The Gillespie Sandwich!

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