Cuban Sandwich with Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries

One of my favorite sandwiches is a Cuban. Several local restaurants have Cuban sandwiches on their menus, and I enjoy comparing their versions.  

Cuban (or Cubano) sandwiches are served on Cuban bread with yellow mustard (my favorite), roast pork (yes!), thinly sliced ham (what's not to love?), dill pickle slices (gotta have dill pickles) and Swiss cheese (my love affair with cheese continues).  

It's easy to understand the reason a Cuban is my favorite sandwich. A Cuban is easy to assemble and is a delicious way to use any leftover pork roast or pork tenderloin.  

For my version, I mixed things up a tad and pressed the sandwich in a panini press. 

If you don't have leftover pork, here's an easy way to prepare pork tenderloin. 

1 lb. pork tenderloin 
1/4 cup olive oil 
1/4 cup orange juice 
1 tablespoon lime juice 
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 
2 garlic cloves, pressed 
1 teaspoon lime zest 
1 teaspoon salt 

Whisk olive oil, orange and lime juices, and spices together in a small bowl. Line a baking sheet with foil and place pork tenderloin onto the sheet. Using a pastry brush, coat the pork tenderloin with the mixture. Place in a 350-degree oven and cook for 35 to 40 minutes until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Thinly slice pork and set aside. 

For two sandwiches: 

1/2 cup mayonnaise 

1/3 cup yellow mustard 

Pinch of cayenne 

2 Cuban loaves or any soft hoagie style roll 

1/2 lb. Swiss or Provolone cheese slices 

1/2 lb. thinly sliced deli ham 

Dill pickle slices 

Butter 

Mix the mayonnaise, mustard and cayenne together in a small bowl. Slice the bread in half lengthwise. Spread the mixture evenly over the cut slices of the bread.  

Divide half of the cheese onto the bottom pieces of the bread. Layer the sliced pork, ham and pickles in equal portions on the bottom slices of bread. Place the remaining cheese slices on top of the pickles. Add the top pieces of bread. Spread a thin layer of butter on top of the sandwiches.  

If you are using a panini press, place the sandwiches one at a time into the preheated press. Toast the sandwich until the bread is browned and crusty and the cheese has melted. You also can put the sandwich in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Place another heavy skillet on top of the sandwiches to help press them down. When the bottom sides have toasted, flip and repeat. Cut the sandwiches in half on a diagonal and serve immediately. 

For my side dish, I cooked frozen sweet potato fries in the air fryer for 10 minutes at 400 degrees. Lightly spray the fries with olive oil before placing them in a single layer (without touching) in the fryer.  

Season the fries with kosher salt before serving. I mixed another batch of the mayonnaise/mustard/cayenne for a dipping sauce for the fries.