Let’s get back in the kitchen for another Appalachian Moments Blog post!
When you get folks talking about comfort foods, you learn about way more than cooking! The response to our recent blog post about Branch Lettuce (and how you kill it) was phenomenal and underscored the memories and history we share with so many. That’s important!
Today that culinary trip down memory lane visits and extols the virtues of a sandwich, but not just any ol’ sandwich, I’m talking about a Southern Classic. The simple delight of fried baloney!
For me, nothing screams “Childhood!” more than a fried baloney sandwich. My dear departed neighborhood friend Mr. Marion Schneider had direct connections to a family-operated grocery store and a meat-packing plant. I have a vivid memory of Marion and I sitting at his kitchen table and carving slices of baloney off of a big deli roll and eating them on crackers. I thought to myself, “Who does this?” and, “this is the coolest thing ever!”
In a quick Google baloney search, a drop-down box under “People Also Ask” had the question, “Is baloney good for you?” I had to laugh! Seriously? Answers: 1. Who cares? 2. It’s good for my soul.
First of all, baloney is free of pretense (whether as an exclamation or a sandwich!). You can call or spell it bologna, but our favorite processed meat doesn’t take on such airs.
How we made it: heat up a frying pan, maybe add a tablespoon of butter, make 4 one-inch cuts in the round slice of baloney and fry it! I remember occasionally adding some cheese to melt on top before placing it on yellow mustard coated slices of white Wonder Bread (neither whole wheat, Ezekiel Bread, multi-grain nor gluten-free bread need apply!).
Some folks, including those near and dear to me, prefer to have Lays Barbecue chips crunched up inside the sandwich, which I will admit does add a pleasing crunch, but I preferred my chips on the side. You might see upscale and trendy recipes for fried baloney sandwiches on websites like Bon Appetit and Food&Wine, but this Southern dish defies hip foodie attempts to get above its raising!
Parent confessional: My two sons turned their noses up at a fried baloney sandwich, yet continue to eat hot dogs. Some things in this life you simply cannot explain but must endure.
Now that we’ve brought it up, we’re buying stock in Oscar Mayer because you won’t be able to scratch that itch without making yourself a fresh fried baloney sandwich! We want to know how you fixed YOURS and what other memories it brings back because it’s part of our culture!