NYC's "Chop Cheese" meets Georgia's "Manna Sandwich"

Two sandwiches I've read about in the past few years have been on my mind lately. I couldn't decide which I wanted to make today while a bit hungover, so I decided to do a mashup of the two.

The first is chopped cheese ("chop cheese") which originates in corner bodegas in Harlem and the Bronx. Lot of controversy surrounding this sandwich in recent years, as hipsters discovered it and started recreating it on restaurant menus for $10 a pop. I figure we can leave the political debates out of this thread and focus purely on the sandwich, which consists of chopped beef, onion, and a shite ton of melted cheese. Often dressed with lettuce, tomato, and misc. condiments.



Another sandwich I read about sometime last year was the Manna Sandwich, created by Al Hodges in 1984 in Reidsville, Georgia on the day he opened his first sandwich shop.

quote:

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The manna sandwich is a hot, sloppy hoagie stuffed with seasoned ground beef, melted cheese, and a creamy sauce made with ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, and salad dressing.

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Soy sauce and onions are cooked with garlic powder and dried herbs until mostly evaporated. Ground beef is added and simmered until cooked through. This is served on a hoagie with melted swiss and a sauce made from mayo, Catalina dressing, ketchup, spicy brown mustard, and sugar.



Both sound like hangover heaven, so I mashed them up.

First, make the Manna Sandwich sauce. Set aside.



Saute chopped onions until brown edges appear. Deglaze with a mixture of soy, garlic powder, and dried herbs. Reduce until somewhat evaporated, but still some liquid. Pour contents into bowl and wipe down skillet. Lightly oil. I decided to do this because I want to try to get a brown on the meat. I don't like the Manna Sandwich method of cooking the beef in liquid.





Crank the heat up and put your ground beef in. Do not touch it. Let it get a good browning. Season the meat. Once you see a good sear, flip and do the same. Once decently browned, take your spatula and break the beef up.



Once cooked, drain the fat and return the beef to pan. Add back in your soy/onion mixture. Stir well and remove from heat. Stir in liberal amount of grated American cheese until melty and thick.







Spread your condiment mixture on toasted hoagie bun, French bread, or whatever bun of your choosing. Top with filling. I decided to skip the tomato, but added a nice helping of shredded iceberg for texture.





Enjoy!