Just one half of the Roast Pork Hoagie at the South Freeport Village Market. Photo by Peggy Grodinsky

I’m not sure what possessed me to change my sandwich order at the South Freeport Village Market from a well-mannered Rachel, with turkey, Swiss and cole slaw on rye, to the mighty Roast Pork Hoagie, with smoked pork shoulder, ham (two types of pork!), Swiss and pickles on a bulky sesame hoagie roll.

Did the sudden nip in the air fuel my desire for something substantial and meaty? Did the “hoagie” moniker appeal to this Philly born-and-bred woman? Or was it just my natural inner contrarian? When I, indecisive, asked the gal behind the counter to weigh in on my options, she volunteered that the Rachel was the store’s most popular sandwich. OK, then, I’d get the hoagie.

Unless I’ve been biking, skiing or hiking all morning at full tilt, I don’t expect to eat one all by myself again, even if I did split it between two meals; next time, I’d go halfsies. But whatever it was that possessed me, I’ve no regrets. No disrespect to you, Ms. Rachel. I’d bet money you’re delicious, too.

The sandwich, a Cubano masquerading as a hoagie, if you ask me, was packed with hefty slabs of smoky, succulent roast pork meat. The kitchen sears the pork before building the sandwich, which adds a bit of crispness that echoes the meat’s crusty bark. The roll, too, had heft, chew and flavor, nothing like squishy, anemic hoagie rolls I remember from childhood. It’s made by the Biddeford-based Little Spruce Baking Co., a spin-off of Big Tree Hospitality, which runs South Freeport Village Market (also Eventide Oyster and Honey Paw in Portland).

The pickles and onions are essential to cut the rich fattiness of the double portion of pork; next time, I might ask for a few more on the side. The yellow mustard – made in-house from the standard Cubano bright yellow mustard mixed with whole-grain – adds tang, cheer and the pleasurable pop of mustard seeds. The sandwich comes warm, and when the Swiss cheese melts, it brings everything together into a harmonious whole.

I needed more napkins. I needed a nap. After lunch, and though I saved half of my hoagie for dinner, I was very full, but in a blissed-out, after-the-Thanksgiving-feast sort of way.

Many, many decades ago, Campbell’s had an ad campaign marketing some of its heartier flavors as “he-men soups.” (The tagline? “But ladies you’ll like ’em, too.”) Sure, it’s dated. Nonetheless, if you throw in a few adjectives – satisfying, robust, juicy, tender, smoky, swell — it works for the market’s Roast Pork Hoagie, too.

Roast Pork Hoagie, $16, South Freeport Village Market, 97 South Freeport Road, Freeport, southfreeportmarket.com