Savory Cheddar Sandwiches
Submitted by Haddock
Open-faced cheddar sandwiches broiled with a creamy cheese spread made from sharp cheddar, cream, hard-boiled egg, pimento, and olives, topped with crossed bacon slices until bubbly and crisp.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
15 minREADY
30 minThink of this as a retro diner cheese melt with serious backbone.
Sharp cheddar gets cooked into a thick cream sauce with onion, a splash of hot sauce, and a hit of lemon juice, then folded with chopped hard-boiled egg, pimento, and stuffed olives. That spread goes on buttered bread, gets topped with crisscrossed bacon slices, and runs under the broiler until everything bubbles and browns.
The cream sauce is what sets this apart from a regular cheese sandwich. Cooking the flour into the butter before adding cream creates a roux base that holds the cheese together instead of letting it separate and get greasy under the broiler.
Par-cook the bacon first so it stays limp enough to drape over the cheese spread. It finishes crisping under the broiler while the cheese bubbles underneath.
Kitchen Tips
- Use the sharpest cheddar you can find. Mild cheddar melts fine but the flavor gets lost under the bacon and hot sauce.
- Watch the broiler closely. The jump from golden-brown to burnt happens in seconds. Keep the sandwiches 3 inches below the heat source.
- Stir the cream into the roux gradually. Adding it all at once causes lumps that won’t smooth out.
- Serve immediately. These lose their crunch fast as the bread absorbs moisture from the cheese spread.
Variations
- Tomato topper: Add a thick slice of ripe tomato between the cheese spread and the bacon before broiling.
- Spicy kick: Swap the hot sauce for a few dashes of chipotle sauce and add pickled jalapeños on top.
Ingredients
Directions
Put the shredded cheese in a bowl and set aside.
Hard cook and chop the egg, then set aside.
Melt the butter in a skillet over low heat.
Add and cook the onion until transparent then add the flour and stir until well blended.
Heat until bubbly and then add the cream, salt and tobasco sauce gradually while stirring constantly.
Cook until the mixture boils.
Cook 1 to 2 minutes longer and remove from the heat.
Blend in the lemon juice.
Add the creamed mixture to the cheese and add the egg, pimento and stuffed olive slices to the mixture.
Mix until well blended and set aside.
Pan broil the bacon slices until they are partially cooked and still limp.
Spread the bread with the softened butter and then spread the cheddar mixture on the bread, allowing ¼ cup for each slice.
Top each slice with 2 of the bacon slices crossed diagonally.
Set the oven temperature to broil (500 or higher degrees F.)
Arrange the sandwiches on the broiler rack and place in broiler with the tops of the sandwiches 3-inches below the heat source.
Broil until cheddar mixture is bubbly and slightly browned and bacon slices are crisp.
Serve hot.
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