Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

comfort food grilled cheese high fiber kid-friendly party sandwich vegetarian

Alison Roman

8 Servings

Ingredients

¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

16 pint ¼”-thick slices assorted bread (such as sourdough, rye, Pullman and whole wheat)

Assorted fixings (such as ham, prosciutto, cooked strips of bacon, sauerkraut, whole grain mustard, minced chives, fig or cherry jam)

1½ pounds assorted cheeses, coarsely grated (such as cheddar, Fontina, mozzarella, Gruyère, and Swiss)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Arrange racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 350°. Set a wire rack inside each of 2 foil-lined rimmed baking sheets. Butter 1 side of each bread slice with about ½ Tbsp. butter.

Heat a medium skillet over medium heat until very hot, at least 2 minutes. Melt ½ Tbsp. butter in skillet. Add 2 slices of bread, buttered side down; cook, pressing down often with a spatula to ensure even toasting and rotating pan frequently, until bread is evenly golden brown, 3–4 minutes. (Do not rush or increase heat, or your bread will burn before it can evenly toast.)

Transfer bread slices, toasted side down, to prepared wire racks (this will help keep bread crunchy). Repeat with remaining bread and butter, wiping out skillet between batches. (If all of the bread doesn’t fit on the racks, you may need to bake sandwiches in two batches.) DO AHEAD: Bread can be toasted 1 hour ahead; let stand at room temperature.

Garnish untoasted side of each slice of bread with fixings, then top each slice with a small handful of cheese (about 1½ oz.), scattering evenly. Season with salt and pepper (do not skip this step; it really elevates the flavors in the sandwich).

Bake bread slices, rotating baking sheets halfway through, until cheese is thoroughly melted, 10–12 minutes (begin checking after 8 minutes; some cheeses melt faster than others). Working in batches, firmly press 2 cheese-topped sides of sandwiches together. Let rest for 1–2 minutes. Slice in half or into quarters. Serve hot or warm.