Napa Farmhouse 1885™: grilled ham and cheese sandwiches

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

grilled ham and cheese sandwiches

i have two food blogs (this one and red or green?) and contribute a story from both each week for food network's comfort food feast. usually i try to create recipes that are very different from each other so the blogs aren't too similar...and so my family gets some variety during "blog writing" days. this week was a bit of a challenge as it is grilled cheese week at food network's comfort food feast. in red or green? i posted a recipe using green chile cheddar and a chipotle mayonnaise spread. we had some for lunch yesterday and they were delicious. ooey, gooey oozing with melted cheese and a bit of a spicy kick from the chiles. today when i told my husband we were having grilled cheese again for the napa farmhouse 1885 post he said..."i just can't eat them two days in a row...unless maybe you add some meat to cut the richness of the cheese?" sold!

i had some ham in the refrigerator and thought..."if a ham & cheese sandwich is good a grilled ham and cheese is even better, right?"

grilled cheese sandwiches are more of a technique than a recipe. you should customize them to your liking. use as much or as little cheese as you like. whatever bread you want. ham, bacon, heirloom tomatoes in season, greens, grilled onions, marinated eggplant? grilled or panini style? i am sharing the way i make mine....share your favorites on facebook or in the comments section of this post.

grilled ham & cheese sandwiches
for each sandwich:
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp dijon mustard
softened butter
2 slices sourdough bread
1/2 cup coarsely grated cheddar cheese
1-2 ham slices, thinly sliced

heat skillet or grill pan(my preference) over medium high heat. in a small bowl, combine mayo and mustard. set aside. spread 1 side of both slices of bread with butter. spread the mayo mixture on the other side of each slice. place 1 slice of bread ,butter side down, in the skillet. mound the cheese on top of the mayo side. top the cheese with the ham slices. top with the second slice mayo side down. grill for 3- 4 minutes, or until bread is nicely toasted with deep grill marks (if using grill pan) and cheese is melted. flip sandwich and grill second side until golden brown. remove from heat, slice and serve immediately.

for a different twist, try my recipe for apple, fennel & cheddar cheese panini. pure yum!