According to whatscookinginamerica.net, the humble sandwich dates all the way back to ancient Jewish sage, Hillel the Elder, who is said to have placed meat from the Paschal lamb along with some bitter herbs between two pieces of matzoh during Passover. All due respect to Hillel, but that doesn’t really sound like a good sandwich at all. It sounds like a dry, crumbly mess. Come on now, a great sandwich needs bread and cheese and other tasty toppings … in addition to those awesome “bitter” herbs. But I digress.
The “sandwich” as we know it in the English language, was named after John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich and 18th-century English aristocrat, and referred to “bits of cold meat tucked between two pieces of bread.” The best part of the story is that Montagu didn’t even invent the thing. As the story goes, he would bark an order to his valet to bring him slabs of meat wedged between two slices of bread so that he could continue playing cribbage without having to lay his hand down to pick up a knife and fork in order to eat. And when his tablemates followed suit, they’d bark out, “Same as Sandwich!” and lo and behold, out of pure laziness, a grand culinary staple was born.
Back out the meat and let’s talk cheese. First sandwich any of us ever ate was more than likely a grilled cheese with doughy white bread, a margarine spread of some sort and plastic-wrapped, processed American cheese. Undoubtedly plain ingredients, and it was still awesome. And that’s the beauty of the grilled cheese sandwich – the whole far outweighs the sum of its parts. But it can get better – way better.
For your basic assembly, have the following ingredients on hand: a fresh loaf of country-style white or sourdough bread, a healthy amount of softened real butter, Monterey Jack, farmhouse cheddar, Gruyere, or imported Swiss cheese, thinly sliced, and one or more of the following add-ins if you wish: smoked bacon – cooked, two thinly-sliced, vine-ripened tomatoes, drained on paper towels or thinly-sliced baked ham.
To get things rolling, place 4 slices of bread on a cutting board. Lay half the cheese slices on the bread. Lay the bacon, tomato, or ham on top of the cheese. Cover with the remaining cheese. Top with the remaining slices of bread and press down slightly.
Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat and melt a tablespoon of the butter. Carefully place 2 of the sandwiches in the pan, and cook until the bread browns and the cheese is slightly melted, about 5 minutes. Turn the sandwiches with a spatula and add a small hazelnut-size piece of butter to the pan. Cook until the other side of the sandwiches is toasted and the cheese is melted, about 3 to 5 minutes more. Repeat with the other sandwiches and serve. And that, my friends is what you call a one-way ticket to flavor country. You see, it is, after all, easy being cheesy.
