Grilled cheese sandwich

A perfect grilled cheese sandwich has cheese flowing when you cut it. It's not hard to accomplish this if you know a few tricks. The most important ingredient is shredded cheese and preferably a great tasting cheese that you grated yourself. See the Notes on cheese section below for cheese suggestions. This sandwich is great for lunch on a rainy day with a cup of tomato soup or for dinner with a salad and glass of wine.

  
    Recipe makes
    Active time
    Total time
  

    1 sandwich
    20m
    20m
  

  
    Special equipment needed
  
    Heavy skillet with a lid, preferably cast iron
  
    Cheese grater, optional
  
    Spatula

  
    Ingredients
  
- 2 tablespoons bacon fat or vegetable oil
  
pieces of hearty bread
  
ounces shredded cheese, see Notes on cheese below
  
- 2 teaspoons mustard, preferably Dijon

  
    Variations
  
    • See Notes on cheese below for cheese variations.
  
    • Add half the cheese, a layer of raw onion or better yet caramelized onions, and then the remaining cheese.
  
    • Add slices of raw garlic.

  
    Storage
  
    • This is best eaten immediately.

  
    Instructions
  
    • Put 1 tablespoon bacon fat or vegetable oil in a heavy skillet and heat over medium heat. When the fat melts, swirl it around the skillet.
  
    • Spread the mustard on one slice of bread. Add that slice to the skillet mustard side up. Put the cheese on top of the mustard. Put mustard on the other piece of bread and put that on top of the cheese mustard side down.
  
     • Cover the skillet and cook about 2 minutes until the bottom of the bread is brown. Using your spatula lift the sandwich out of the pan and add more fat. Let that melt before carefully turning the sandwich and returning it to the skillet. Cover again and cook for another 2 minutes.
  
     • Check the bottom of the sandwich occasionally to make sure it isn't browning too much. Flip the sandwich as necessary to ensure even browning on both sides. The sandwich will be ready when the bread is nicely browned and you can no longer see individual pieces of cheese along the side of the sandwich.

  
    Notes on cheese
  
    • Choosing which cheese to use is the most important part of a grilled cheese sandwich. I find that freshly grated cheese melts faster and better, but it is okay to use packaged shredded cheese.
  
    • Any type of cheese will do except a sharp cheddar which tends to separate when melted and create an oily mess. I always have a medium cheddar in my refrigerator which is perfect.
  
    • When I want to create a gourmet grilled cheese sandwich, I use a mixture of Gruyere and cheddar and sometimes add a bit of blue cheese to that.
  
    • Combine cheddar and pepperjack for a spicier sandwich.

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