Funeral Sandwiches

Am I the only person on the planet who had not heard of Funeral Sandwiches?  We were at a party and someone brought these out of the oven and onto the patio.  The aroma, the glistening rolls, the eagerness to try something new; I could hardly wait to give them a taste.

I love a good sandwich.  I love Hawaiian rolls.  I love deli ham and Swiss cheese.  When I was a kid in school, I was always envious of the other kids with multi-layered sandwiches.  I was reminded of those days when I saw these.

I don’t go to a lot of funerals, thank you very much, so I was thinking about how great these would be on a buffet table.  I would cut them up individually.  The ham overlaps the rolls, making it hard to find the exact spot to cut the rolls apart.  I would also make the ham slices smaller to help ease the sandwiches apart.

I went up to the grocery to get a bit more Swiss and a couple of the checkers asked what I was making.  Of course, they both knew about Funeral Sandwiches.  Boy, do I sound bitter?  One asked if I was sprinkling sesame seeds and the other asked if I was using poppy seeds.  I did neither today, but next time I think I’ll go with my black sesame seeds.

1 package of King’s Hawaiian dinner rolls

½ – 1 pound deli sliced ham

½ pound thinly sliced Swiss cheese

½ cup melted butter

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons mustard (spicy mustard adds a nice kick)

1 teaspoon onion powder

1. Split the whole package of rolls in half end to end and lay the bottom half in your 13 x 9 pan.
2. Layer the deli ham over the top of the roll bottoms.
3. Add a layer of the Swiss cheese.
4. Put the tops of the buns back on.
5. In a bowl, whisk together the butter, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and onion powder.
6. Brush the top of each bun with the mixture. Drizzle the remainder over all of it.
7. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. 24 hours is really the best.
8. When you are ready to make them, heat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the sandwiches covered for 10 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 10 minutes more.

and remember:  The smallest good deed is better than the grandest good intention.  Big kiss, Lynn