Knife and Fork Grilled Cheese

Being a food blogger, you’d think that there’s always something to eat in my kitchen, but I can’t tell you the number of times when my writing and photo editing absorbs my concentration to the point where I look up and realize it’s 7:00 and I’ve done nothing for dinner.  Enter the Knife and Fork Grilled Cheese!

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This simple, flavorful sandwich is one that my family gobbles up — I don’t think they realize that I’m making it because I forgot to defrost the chicken…  This meal comes together in about 15 minutes and I have to be honest, as good as it is for dinner — it would probably be even better the morning after a particularly “raucous” night — not that I’d know about that…  Plus, you’ve probably already got the ingredients in your pantry and fridge.  There’s only 6 of them…

Let’s start with the bread – a key component for this sandwich.  You want something that will stand up to the griddle and not fall apart – for me, that’s Pepperidge Farm®.  You could use any of their Farmhouse varieties, but for me, Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse™ Hearty White works best here.  It’s slow baked, hearty and delicious, crafted from small batches with wholesome flavorful ingredients.  Authentic and fresh, it’s the perfect canvas for this panini.

The ham should be very thinly sliced, moist and flavorful. I think Hillshire Farm®  Honey Ham works best here – I got mine Ultra Thin. It contains no artificial flavors or byproducts and is slow roasted for hours — making it the most flavorful packaged lunchmeat and my pick for this sammie along with a few slices of Colby Jack cheese.  Colby Jack is a great melting cheese and ideal for this dish.

Making the aioli couldn’t be any easier.  Start with Hellmann’s® Real Mayonnaise and blend it with one or two whole chipotle peppers in adobo sauce for a spicy, southwestern kick.

Spread some aioli on the top slice of bread and rest it on the sandwich (chipotle side down — duh!!!)

You know how when you try to spread cold butter on a slice of bread, it tears up the crumb?  Well, here’s a not-so-secret-secret… use a little Hellmann’s® Real Mayonnaise instead.  When you grill the sandwich, you’ll get a beautifully golden, crisp crust without damaging the bread .

The sandwich grills up in no time on a panini press, but you’ll get equally fab results using a nonstick griddle or cast iron pan.

An oozy fried egg and a little more of that chipotle aioli drizzled on top and you’ve got yourself one heck of a breakfast sandwich.  It almost makes you want to “forget” dinner on purpose, doesn’t it?

More sandwiches you’ll love:

• Gourmet Grilled Cheese
• Mahi Mahi Sandwich
• Muffuletta Sandwich Recipe
• Cold Roast Beef Sandwich
• Classic Cheesesteak Sandwich

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