Beef,  Cheese,  Game Day,  Kids,  Sandwiches

Fried Bologna Sandwich

I grew up in Kokomo, Indiana. It was a small town packed with a lot of fun things to do. While growing up, I remembered a handful of things in Kokomo which included great family times, rollerskating in the church parking lot across the street, heading down to Highland park to check out the Vermont Covered Bridge, and Big Ben, both of which are historical landmarks, but also growing up in the house.

We lived in a fairly simple house, but it was rather fun. We had a large pool in the backyard, dogs, and a pretty great working class neighborhood. Life was good. There was not much that I remember to this day with those times spent in the kitchen, and I know there were many. Sure, I recall eating fruity pebbles before heading out to school, and birthday cakes my mom would make, but not much more than that, well, except for the fried bologna sandwich my dad made.

Fried Bologna Sandwich Recipe

The fried bologna sandwich. Who would have thought? My dad, I suppose. A simple sandwich with so much comfort, and one that I still remember clearly from my early childhood. You don’t see it around much, and when you think of bologna, you might say “no way”, but there is something about this classic sandwich.

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 to 1/2 thick slices of good deli bologna
  • white bread, plain or toasted
  • sharp cheddar cheese, optional
  • potato chips, optional
  • pickle spear, optional
  • mustard, optional
  • mayonnaise, optional
  • 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter

I am a strong believer in cast iron, so if you have a cast iron skillet, use it. Bring it up to a medium-low heat, and add the butter. During this time, get your bologna ready. In order to prevent the bologna from curling up while cooking, you can score the bologna with a knife, or score the edges.

Add the slice of bologna, and cook for a few minutes on each side. You want some of the char on the slice. While the bologna is cooking, put two slices of bread in the toaster. This is optional, but I like a toasted bologna sandwich. You have options now, and that is to add mustard or mayo, or both to your toast. I really like the mustard and fried bologna, but this is up to you. Once the bologna is charred, and cooked, add to the toast, top with a slice or two of sharp cheddar cheese, and dig in.

All I can say is there is something about it. Often times when parents tell you about something, and say how good it is, whether ham salad, or pickled beets, you must give it a shot, and make it. So all I can say is thanks dad for frying up a slice of bologna so many years ago.

8 Comments

  • Daren

    OK, that post brought back a ton of memories. We (6 kids)
    too were served these sandwiches and I loved mine toasted with
    ketchup. At the time about the only thing I’d put ketchup on! Also
    good with cotto salami instead of bologna. So, this post has me
    thinking of another meal we were served as kids: Bologna Boats!
    Preheat oven to 350°, lay sliced bologna on cookie sheet. Prepare
    mashed potatoes (real or boxed) and add in some chopped onion and
    parsley. Put an ice cream-sized scoop of potatoes in the center of
    the bologna and pop in the oven. They’re done and the bologna curls
    up and around the potatoes and caramelizes a bit. Hence the ‘boats’
    in the name.

  • Donna

    Thanks for posting! This is the first thing my Dad taught me to cook. We would fry the bologna make our sandwiches with mustard and cheese and then grill them on the stove. Yum!

  • Wendell Smith

    You bet!!! I have to have a fried bologna fix from time to time.
    I remember as a child (that was a long, long time ago) my mother made me two fried bologna sandwiches to take to school for my lunch. Back then we either had to walk to school or have someone take us. On nice days I would walk. Anyway, I left the house with these two freshly made hot bologna sandwiches. The great smell got the best of me so I ate one of the sandwiches. It was so good I went ahead and ate the other.
    Needless to say, I had nothing for lunch that day, but I sure had a great breakfast!

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