Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Ham 'n' Cheese Melt



I have said before that this blog will not just be filled with dishes that take a long time to prepare.  Sometimes it's just as important to make everyday food more exciting.  In this case, I took a ham & cheese sandwich.  That could easily be your run-of-the-mill kind of sandwich.  Certainly I wouldn't take the time to type up a blog for PB&J, so why would I bother with a simple ham & cheese?

The answer is because this wasn't your ordinary sandwich.  Subway is the second most prevalent restaurant chain in the United States.  So clearly I shouldn't have to sell any of you on the merits of a sub sandwich.  But this one would be more suited to Quizno's ... well, actually Subway will toast your sandwiched now too. But I'll give credit where credit is due.

I took a fresh baked loaf of Italian bread and sliced it in half, and then again lengthwise.  I did pull a little of the breading out of the top half of the bun.  You don't want it to be overly bready, after all.

On the top half I spread out a lite mayonnaise and then added some spicy mustard.  I like to mix the two together so you have sort of a mustard aoili.  Then I cut up fresh cherry tomatoes and a yellow onion (in very small strips) and layered them atop my wet ingredients.  I hit them with a little seasoning to pump them up a little more.

Then we simply add layers of cold-cut ham on the bottom half, and top it with a sharp cheddar cheese.  You might be well served to visit your butcher counter when purchasing lunch meats & cheeses.  Often you can get a better deal, and certainly you will get a fresher product.

Pop the whole thing into the toaster oven and let the cheese get nice and bubbly.  This will also allow the tomato & onion to cook a little and release their natural juices.  Now I realize I'm not teaching you anything too complex here.  But it's worth noting that you can take a simple, quick sandwich and really turn it into a much more enjoyable experience.





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