Antipasto Heroes

Few sandwiches can beat the overstuffed meat, cheese, and condiment-filled “heroes” prepared by Italian delicatessens. We wanted to make a sandwich just as good at home, with supermarket staples--no trips to the deli. Here’s what we discovered:

Test Kitchen Discoveries

• Make a paste with jarred artichoke hearts, garlic, and olive oil to spread the artichokes’ flavor through the whole sandwich.
• Combine roasted red peppers, olives, and spicy, tangy pepperoncini to make a relish similar to that slathered on a classic muffuletta sandwich.
• Choose fresh mozzarella, not rubbery low-moisture mozzarella, for the most authentic flavor. (Save the low-moisture cheese for melting on pizza.)
• Remove a portion of the interior crumb of the baguette to make room for the filling; otherwise it will spill out.
• Weight the sandwich for a few hours to make it easier to eat and to marry the filling’s flavors.