Bacon Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Crispy Sourdough and Sharp Cheddar
By Mason Brooks
Prep
10 min
Cook
15 min
Total
25 min
Servings
1
Level
Easy
I make this bacon grilled cheese sandwich for lunch when I don't want a snack. It has three strips of bacon and cheddar cheese on thick sourdough bread. Both sides of the sandwich toast and the cheese melts in a skillet. It's a single-serving lunch sandwich.
I grate cheese from a block to add to a sandwich. Sliced and grated cheese is preferable to packaged shredded cheese, which includes potato starch and other ingredients that prevent the cheese from melting and adhering to bacon. Cheddar cheese has a more desirable texture when served with bacon on a sandwich. Allowing bread to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before making the sandwich prevents the inside from staying too cold while the outside browns.
The lid is kept on for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, I lift the lid with a wide metal spatula and lower the heat to medium, avoiding squishing the bread. Turn out the bread when it is very dark brown and the cheese on the edges is bubbling, with a hollow sound when you tap it with a knife.
To enhance the bacon flavor, I occasionally mix a teaspoon of bacon grease with softened salted butter and spread the mixture on bread. I grill the bread in a cast-iron skillet, if possible, but it can also be grilled in a stainless-steel skillet. I place the sandwich on a white ceramic plate for 60 seconds and then cut it diagonally with a sharp knife, the best way to consume this sandwich.
Why you'll love this recipe
- One sandwich is a good lunch. It's also an option for dinner if you want a one-dish hot meal.
- The bacon is sandwiched between two slices of cheese to prevent the bacon strips from falling out when you cut the sandwich diagonally.
- Salted butter helps spread to the bread's edges and avoid white patches on the crust.
- A wide spatula prevents difficulties when turning sandwiches with thick slices of bread and other heavy ingredients.
- A sliced sandwich can be warmed on a stove top to eat again.
- Jalapeno slaw provides flavor and crunch along with cheese and bacon.
Ingredients
- •2 slices sourdough bread (thick-cut, about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick)
- •4 oz sharp orange cheddar (115 g, freshly grated or sliced)
- •3 strips thick-cut bacon (about 90 g, cooked until crispy)
- •2 tbsp salted butter (30 g, softened for spreading)
- •1 tsp avocado oil (5 ml, or vegetable oil, for the skillet)
Instructions
- 1
Put the bacon in a cold skillet over medium heat and cook, turning occasionally, until dark reddish-brown and glistening.
- 2
Drain the bacon on paper towels and keep it warm.
- 3
Spread 1 tablespoon (15 g) of softened salted butter edge-to-edge over one side of each sourdough slice.
- 4
Set one slice butter-side down and layer with 2 oz (57 g) cheddar, the 3 bacon strips, then the remaining 2 oz (58 g) cheddar. Top with the second slice, butter-side up.
- 5
Heat the avocado oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-low heat.
- 6
Place the sandwich in the skillet and cover with a lid for the first 2 minutes.
- 7
Remove the lid, flip carefully with a wide metal spatula, increase the heat to medium, and press down lightly.
- 8
Cook for 3-4 minutes per side, until the crust is deep golden-brown, the cheese bubbles at the edges, and the bread sounds hollow or crunchy when tapped with a knife.
- 9
Rest the sandwich for 60 seconds on a white ceramic plate, then slice diagonally.
FAQ
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
850
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