COOKING WITH KIDS: Mystery Baked Sandwiches

This month I’m cooking with my 8-year-old neighbor, Luke Tolley, and we’ve prepared what Luke calls “Mystery Baked Sandwiches.” This is a fun one, and it’s super simple. So simple, in fact, there’s not really a formal recipe. All you need to do is to follow the process.

To make it even more fun, set it up as an afterschool activity and prepare a family dinner buffet with build-your-own sandwiches.

Start with a package or two of refrigerated crescent rolls. You can make 4 smaller sandwiches or one supersized sammie out of each roll. You can also buy the new crescent roll sheet dough from Pillsbury and avoid the step of pinching together the perforated seams.

I like to call these “inside out sandwiches,” but I love that Luke called it a Mystery Sandwich, because you don’t know what’s inside until you start eating.

TASTE BEFORE YOU COOK

“Taste First” has always been my philosophy when I cook with adults, and it applies to kids, too. Luke and I tasted four different cheeses and then moved on to pickles. This is a great way for kids to try new foods and have a choice.

Luke and I tasted Swiss, American, Provolone, and Muenster. He considered their flavor profiles, knowing there was no right or wrong answer. In the end, the Provolone was his top pick. Our pickle tasting took us from sweet to sour with a variety of relishes sandwiched in between.

He ultimately decided on Provolone Cheese and Baby Dill Pickles.

For our protein, we used ground beef from Proffitt Family Cattle Company in Kings Mountain. While it’s not certified organic, these cattle are raised following organic standards, and the beef is delicious. It’s available every other Saturday at the Matthews Farmers Market, or you can order it online and arrange to pick it up from the farm store.

If beef isn’t your thing, you can use leftover grilled chicken or any kind of sliced deli meat. For vegetarian options, try tofu, seared tempeh, a chopped veggie burger, or drained black beans or chickpeas.

COOKING TIPS

As we prepped for our cooking session, I showed Luke how to put a damp paper towel under his cutting board so it wouldn’t slide around as he was chopping and slicing. Instead of cutting with a sharp metal knife an adult would use, I strongly suggest starting young chefs with one of these plastic knives designed to cut food, but not little fingers. They come in a set of three sizes, and they chop, slice, and dice quite well. If you’d like a less expensive version, look in The Dollar Store’s craft section for a Pool Noodle Knife. It’s essentially the same thing, but it is slightly more lightweight and only comes in one size.

Luke sliced and seeded the little sweet peppers and opted to dice some of the seeded peppers as well. He cut the baby dill pickles into long halves, and for the first time ever, he cracked an egg.

Because we used ground beef, our Mystery Sandwiches resembled hamburgers, so our buffet of add-ins included cheese, sliced sweet peppers, pickles, ketchup, mustard, lettuce, fresh spinach, and salt and pepper. And, because I like adding in a fun surprise ingredient, we had baked tater tots as well.

LAYER, WRAP, AND ROLL

1. Unroll the crescent roll dough and divide it into four separate rectangles. Use your fingers to pinch together the seams.
2. If you use the un-perforated dough to make one large sandwich, use a rolling pin to roll it out a bit to make a larger rectangle, or cut the dough into four smaller rectangles to make smaller sandwiches.
3. Following the long edge of the dough rectangle, start by adding a row of the raw ground beef (or cooked chicken, tofu, black beans, or sliced cold cuts) to the center of the rectangle.
4. Top your protein with anything else you like—each sandwich can be different.
5. Once your ingredients are assembled, fold the pastry dough up and over the filling and roll it up to form a log shape. Use your fingers to pinch the long edge of the roll shut.
6. Connect the two ends of the dough log to make a bagel shape, pinching the dough together to seal up the edges.
7. Place the bagel-shaped dough rounds on a parchment paper or a foil-lined baking sheet. Brush the top of each with a little bit of beaten egg and bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for 9-12 minutes.
8. Take out of the oven and transfer to a serving plate. Let cool a bit and enjoy!

HEIDI BILLOTO is a Charlotte-based food and travel writer. Visit her at HeidiBillottoFood.com or on Instagram @heidibillotto.