Open Faced French Bread Sandwiches

Last night my hubby & I were trying to decide what to make for dinner. We remembered having this awesome broiled sandwich thing at a friend's house and thought that sounded good. One thing led to another, and before I knew it we were having our own little "Iron Chef", with each of us choosing different toppings and spreads to put on top of our half of the french bread. Here are the fruits--or sandwiches--of our labors.


#1- Scott's Sandwich

Ingredients:
half a loaf of French bread
4-5 cloves of garlic
4 tablespoons Olive Oil
6 leaves of fresh basil, plus a few more to place on the sandwich
sour cream
3 pieces of applewood smoked bacon
colby jack cheese, sliced
apple smoked provolone, sliced
deli sliced turkey
hickory smoked pre-sliced ham

Directions:
1. Cook the olive oil and crushed garlic cloves on medium-high heat until the garlic is almost brown.
2. Turn the heat down to low and add the sliced basil
3. Apply mixture with a basting brush to french bread, sliced horizontally.
4. Toast under the broiler.
5. Apply a thin layer of sour cream. Place fresh basil leaves on top, with a little space in between them. Add the meats, then the cheese, alternating types of cheeses in a row to make it look "stripey".
6. Broil until cheese browns.

#2- Jillian's Sandwich

Ingredients:
half a loaf of French bread
Kraft mayonnaise
Best Foods honey mustard
deli sliced turkey
hickory smoked, pre-sliced ham
Colby Monterrey jack cheese, grated
extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated
granulated garlic
fresh ground black pepper

Directions:
1. Pre-heat the broiler. Slice your loaf of French bread horizontally.
2. Apply a layer of mayonnaise, followed by a layer of honey mustard.
3. Add a couple layers of ham and turkey. Top with cheese.
4. Sprinkle with garlic and pepper.
5. Broil till cheese browns.

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As you can see, Scott is the gourmet chef at our house. But, both sandwiches turned out so good and were so different that we were unable to choose a "winner" in our little "Iron Chef". It was a lot of fun, though. Maybe we will have to do something like that again. Gather some friends or family members and have your own little cook-off!