sandwich

It's not an exaggeration to say Southerners love a ham sandwich. Having a busy night and need a fast dinner? Make a ham sandwich. Putting together a meal for a friend or loved one? Make ham sandwiches! Your kids have friends coming over for the afternoon? You guessed it. Ham sandwiches.

In short, there's always a good reason to make a ham sandwich—and you should make sure that ham sandwich is always a truly incredible one.

What You'll Need To Make This Ultimate Ham Sandwich

A ham sandwich recipe has to be easy—that's the point—so really it's just about picking the right ingredients so that everything blends together perfectly.

• Mayonnaise, mustard, honey, and paprika: This recipe calls for you to make a sweet-and-tangy homemade honey mustard. It's by far the hero, and it's proof that with just a few classic pantry ingredients, you can take a sandwich from good to great. You were going to use mayo and mustard anyway, right? So make this spread instead, and you'll never go back.
• Hearty sandwich bread: A thin, flimsy bread just won't do. This bread needs to stand up to this towering sandwich.
• Muenster cheese: We like the slightly nutty, buttery, pungent flavor of muenster. It blends well with the rest of the sandwich, but doesn't shrink behind the big flavors of the pickles or honey mustard spread.
• Tomato slices: Sprinkle with salt and pepper to pull out the tomato's best flavor and wonderful natural juices.
• Deli smoked ham: Get this from the deli counter at the grocery store if you can. They'll slice it thin, the perfect, fluffy texture for this sandwich.
• Bread-and-butter pickles: The tangy but slightly sweet flavor of these pickles pairs with the honey mustard without being too tart. But you can go with dill chips if you like.
• Arugula: We like delicate arugula more than lettuce leaves because they contribute a hint of peppery bite and don't overwhelm the sandwich with moisture.

How To Make a Great Ham Sandwich

We don't have to tell you: A ham sandwich is really easy to make. So do you need instructions? Probably not. But here you are, so we'll offer them anyway.

• If you're making this sandwich for lunch later, don't put the tomato slice on just yet. It could make the sandwich a bit soggy, so save it in a separate bag, then salt and pepper it just before adding it to the sandwich.
• Spread the honey mustard on both slices of bread. It acts like a glue to hold the sandwich together. Plus, it's so good, the more you have the better.
• Don't skimp on the bread. This is one opportunity to use that hearty, grainy bread you love. This sandwich needs a bread with heft as it towers tall with ingredients.