Ham and Cheese Football Sandwiches — irresistible, easy to make, slightly crisp outside and warm, gooey, and cheesy inside. A perfect game-day treat.
September is here — my favorite month. The air is cooling, sweaters are coming out, and football season is in full swing.
We live in Wisconsin, where football is practically a way of life, especially college football. With kickoff season upon us, I’m pulling out cozy recipes and testing new crowd-pleasers.
I recently received a copy of Cook’s Country Eats Local from America’s Test Kitchen, and it arrived at just the right time for fall entertaining.
Comfort food, warm kitchens, and recipes designed for sharing — this book delivers. From oven-barbecued beef brisket to burgers and pies, the collection highlights regional favorites and timeless classics.
The editors traveled the country to find local specialties and then tested and adapted them for home cooks. The book organizes recipes by region so you can easily explore flavors from New England to the West.
Highlights include New England and Mid-Atlantic dishes like New England Bar Pizza and Bee Sting Cake; Appalachian and Southern favorites such as Pimento Cheeseburgers and Cracklin’ Cornbread; Midwest and Great Plains classics including Wisconsin Cheddar Beer Soup and St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake; and Texas and Western recipes like Indoor Barbecue Beef Short Rib and Tick Tock Orange Sticky Rolls.
There are 150 recipes in the book that are worth trying, no matter where you live.
When I spotted the Football Sandwiches on page 82, I had to try them. I’ve made ham-and-cheese sliders before, but the Cook’s Country version offers a few clever tweaks: soft square dinner rolls, yellow mustard, Black Forest ham, and Swiss cheese, plus a sauce that’s flavorful without being overly rich.
The recipe reduces the butter used in classic versions and boosts flavor with finely chopped onion, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and poppy seeds. Letting the prepared sandwiches sit for 10 minutes before baking allows the rolls to absorb the sauce, then they bake until the cheese is melted and the tops are just slightly firm — golden and delicious.
They were a hit at our house — my husband polished off five, and the kids loved them after removing the poppy seeds. If your picky eaters prefer to skip the seeds, you can sprinkle them on just half or omit them entirely.
If you’re hosting a game-day gathering or a casual get-together, these sandwiches are simple to assemble ahead of time and bake when guests arrive. Expect everyone to ask for the recipe.
Make these for your next watch party — they travel well and reheat beautifully. Below is the tested recipe from Cook’s Country Eats Local so you can recreate them at home.
Recipe from Cook’s Country Eats Local, pages 82-83. I received permission from America’s Test Kitchen to publish this recipe here.
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Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. I was sent a copy of the cookbook to review from America’s Test Kitchen. All opinions are my own.
Print Recipe
Football Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 12 square soft white dinner rolls
- 6 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 12 thin slices deli Black Forest ham 8 ounces
- 12 thin slices deli Swiss cheese 8 ounces
- pepper
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
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Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Slice rolls in half horizontally. Spread 4 tablespoons mustard evenly on cut sides of roll tops and bottoms. Arrange roll bottoms, cut side up and side by side, in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Fold ham slices in thirds, then once in half; place 1 slice on each roll bottom. Fold Swiss cheese like the ham, then place over ham. Season with pepper and cover with roll tops.
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Combine butter, onions and poppy seeds in bowl. Microwave until butter is melted and onion is softened, about 1 minute. Whisk Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and remaining 2 tablespoons mustard into butter mixture until combined. Generously brush tops and edges of sandwiches with all of butter mixture. Spoon any remaining solids over sandwiches.
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Cover dish with aluminum foil and let sit for 10 minutes to allow sandwiches to absorb sauce. Bake for 20 minutes. Then, uncover and continue baking until cheese is melted around the edges and the tops are slightly firm, 7 to 9 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.