The Sandwich-Wrap-Pizza We Can't Get Enough Of

This recipe was originally published on rebeccablackwell.com.

Photo byRebecca Blackwell/ rebeccablackwell.com

Last month, after an afternoon spent riding Bear Tooth Highway, we stopped for dinner in Red Lodge, Montana. Not being familiar with the town, we chose a restaurant at random, plopped ourselves down at the bar, ordered drinks, and perused the menu.

The restaurant was Natali’s Front Bar which is part of the Red Lodge Pizza Company - the two restaurants are side by side and share a menu. One of the sections on the menu is devoted to Montana Rolls.

Not having any idea what a Montana Roll is, I asked the bartender to explain. He said they were kind of like wraps, but the bread was made from thin rolled pizza dough. I decided to try one, The Fromberg Roll, and it was so delicious that I determined to figure out how to make them at home.

Montana rolls, as the bartender described, are pizza dough wraps that are served hot. So, of course, there is the option to make some pizza dough, roll it out so it’s fairly thin, and bake it.

Or, you can skip all that and use a package of Indian Naan from your local supermarket.

Not only did our homemade Montana rolls come out cheesy and delicious, using packaged Naan makes these warm wraps quick and easy.

Because I was trying to mimic the Montana Roll I ordered at Natali’s Front Bar, I used most of the same ingredients. Here’s the description of the Fromberg Roll, taken straight from the menu: Tender chopped beefsteak, sautéed green peppers & onions, banana peppers with melted American & provolone cheese.

I used Sirloin tip steak that I braised low and slow for a couple of hours until very tender. But, you can use any kind of steak or roast beef that you like in here. They are a delicious way to use up leftovers.

Also, it occurred to me after I made these, that thick sliced deli roast beef would also work well and make these wraps even easier. That’s what I’ve been doing ever since.

As you can imagine, the sky’s the limit with the variations here. But here are my top two tips regardless of whatever filling ingredients you choose:

1. Add cheese under the other filling ingredients AND on top of them. The cheese really helps everything stick together. Besides, does two layers of melted cheese actually need any justification?
2. Don’t overfill these babies. Remember that you’re wrapping everything up into a roll, so you want to be generous with the toppings but not add so much that you can’t roll them up.

Photo byRebecca Blackwell/ rebeccablackwell.com

Here’s how to make them:

1. Heat the oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Lay a piece of naan on the parchment lined baking sheet and brush it with about a tablespoon of melted butter (I used Roasted Garlic Stonefire Naan, which is pretty easy to find at most supermarkets).
3. Top the naan with thin slices of cheddar cheese (we like sharp cheddar). Depending on how thick the slices are, you may want to allow space between the slices so there’s room for the melted cheese to spread. You can also use grated cheese.
4. Place the pan in the oven and let the naan bake until the cheese is melted.
5. Remove the pan from the oven and top with bite-size pieces of steak or a few slices of thick sliced deli roast beef, a handful of sautéed bell peppers and onions (see instructions below), and sliced banana peppers. Top everything with thin slices of provolone cheese (or grated provolone).
6. Put the pan back in the oven and bake until the cheese on top is melted and starting to bubble.
7. Remove the pan from the heat and immediately roll it up. It will be very hot, so this is tricky. For me, the easiest way to accomplish this is to hold one side in place with a pot holder and use a flat spatula to gently fold the other side up and over. Press it down - the melted cheese will hold it in place, then fold it over one more time. Cut it in half with a serrated knife and dig in.

For more of my recipes, visit alittleandalot.com and ofbatteranddough.com.

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