Meatball Sandwich

I usually stay in on Friday nights so I can crash after a long work week.  I typically order in as a little treat to myself, but last weekend I actually cooked since I had defrosted meatballs and needed to use them up.  While I love spaghetti and meatballs, I make it all the time and wanted to do something different - enter the meatball sandwich.  I cooked the meatballs in sauce just like I would for spaghetti and while they simmered away I grated fontina cheese and got the bun ready.  Most meatball subs come on a hoagie, but I went with a kaiser roll because I like that it's just crusty enough but not so thick and hard that  it's tough to get to the meatball.  Here's where my secret ingredient came in.  Last week, my mom sent me a bruschetta seasoning packet that she found at World Market.  I brushed each side of the roll with olive oil and then covered it with the seasoning and toasted it.  Though the meatballs were already seasoned, this gave it the real zip.

The sandwich was perfect.  I highly recommend using a kaiser roll instead of a hoagie so you get the right balance of meat/cheese and bread.  I also recommend using fontina instead of the traditional provolone.  It melts well and is a little nuttier, not so bland.  Tomato sauce is sweet and I never thought provolone has what it takes to stand out in it's overwhelming presence on a sandwich like this.

I wanted a little something on the side so I sauteed asparagus in butter with garlic and lemon zest and mixed it with Israeli couscous and pecorino romano.  It came out well and will be used again as an easy side dish in the future.  I may have made a departure from take out, but don't worry, I still spent the rest of my Friday evening like I usually do, watching my DVR.