Y’all. I am embarrassed to share this recipe with you.

In fact, I’m a little embarrassed to call it a recipe. What is it? A strategy? Maybe a dish?

Not really. It’s a sandwich, y’all.

But when I served this to my family, and not one but two nearly grown children told me it was one of the best things I’ve ever served them for supper, I knew I had to share it.

I also felt a little like I’d been punched in the gut. What about the chicken cordon bleu? The homemade pot pies? The roasts and shepherd’s pies and enchiladas? What about the dumplings?

But I digress.

It’s fine.

No, really. I’m fine. It’s fine.

And given the ease of preparation and the fact that it requires very little heat, I suspect this entree will become part of the regular rotation. I’m especially looking forward to trying it with tomatoes from the backyard.

But don’t tell my husband that. He’ll get the big head.

Get this: the reason I wanted to try these, the reason they looked so appealing, was the toppings mixture. I saw it on a cooking YouTube channel I watch sometimes and thought it looked delicious.

And I was right! It was delicious! It really elevated that sandwich from a run-of-the-mill quick meal to something I am looking forward to eating again soon.

But who, pray tell, ate that fancy dancy mixture of toppings? Me. I did. No one else. Everyone else just had bread and ham and cheese or bread and turkey and salami or whatever.

Bread! And ham! And cheese!

And they swore it was the Best! Meal! Ever!

I swear.

I’m never cooking for these people again.

HOT HOAGIES

Ingredients
Assortment of deli meats (we had 1 pound ham, 1 pound turkey, and about 6 ounces salami and had plenty for at least two meals of this type)
Assortment of sliced cheeses (provolone and colby for us)
Take-and-bake baguettes (plan on about 8 inches of baguette per diner)
Topping ingredients (optional); per sandwich
About 3/4 cup finely shredded lettuce
2 teaspoon submarine dressing (or a drizzle of oil and vinegar with a sprinkle of Italian seasoning)
1 Tablespoon mayo
1 teaspoon mustard
1 Tablespoon pickled pepperoncini or banana peppers

Directions
■ Bake take-and-bake baguettes according to package directions. Remove bread from oven but keep oven turned on. Cut baguettes into about 8-inch long pieces. Carefully split each piece long ways. Layer on desired meat and cheese toppings on bottom half of each pair. Place bread onto a large baking sheet and return to oven until cheese melts, about 5 minutes.
■ While sandwich warms, toss together lettuce, sub dressing, mayo, mustard, and pickled peppers in a separate bowl. When sandwich comes out of oven, add topping to the meat and cheese and add the top. Cut in half and listen your family sing praises to the grocery store bakery. Try not to cry.

Amelia Plair is a mom and high school teacher in Starkville. Email reaches her at [email protected].

Amelia Plair is a Starkville resident who writes occasional food columns.