Anthony Bourdain's 5-Ingredient Mortadella Sandwich
Feb 19, 2026
How to Make Anthony Bourdain’s 5-Ingredient Mortadella Sandwich
The beauty of this sandwich is its simplicity. It uses just five ingredients and lets technique do the work.
Ingredients
- Mortadella
- Provolone cheese
- A sturdy roll (sourdough or a Kaiser roll)
- Dijon mustard (yellow mustard works too)
- Mayonnaise
Why Mortadella?
Mortadella is the star. Often described as a more refined version of bologna, it’s smooth, delicately spiced, and sometimes studded with pistachios. While bologna can be substituted, thinly sliced mortadella is ideal because it crisps beautifully when cooked.
Method
- Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add a small amount of neutral oil.
- Fold 2 to 3 slices of mortadella into loose piles. Uneven folds are good; they create crisp edges.
- Place the mortadella in the hot pan and cook until browned and slightly crispy, about 1 minute per side.
- Flip the mortadella and top each pile with 1 to 2 slices of provolone. Let the cheese melt; if it spills over and crisps, even better.
- Once the second side is browned, stack the piles together so the residual heat fully melts the cheese.
- Toast the sliced roll in the same skillet, using the rendered fat and browned bits for extra flavor.
- Spread mayonnaise on one side of the roll and mustard on the other. Add the mortadella and cheese, close the sandwich, and serve immediately.