Grilled cheese sandwiches are absolutely one of my top 5 comfort foods. Grilled cheese + tomato soup on a cold winter’s day? Yes, please. Grilled cheese + chopped salad on a warm summer afternoon? Of course! Grilled cheese sandwiches are truly one of the greatest (and easiest) culinary treats out there. They remind me of being a kid and making my own lunch in the toaster oven. (In my head, I was creating a masterpiece worthy of being on Top Chef. In reality, I was age 7 and making grilled cheese out of white bread and American cheese.)
While the Crazy Sriracha Grilled Cheese is a bit fancier than the white bread and American cheese creations of my childhood, it still carries those familiar (and delicious) memories of being a kid again. Did you ever put potato chips on your sandwiches when you were young? I know I did. Fritos, Cheetos, Lay’s. They all ended up inside of a sandwich at some point. In keeping with this childhood memory, I included kettle chips in today’s grilled cheese. Grilled Cheese with a crunch…delicious!
This sandwich could also be called The Kitchen Sink since it includes nearly everything delicious that I could find in my fridge. The signature feature is absolutely the sriracha butter on the outside of the bread. Many people think sriracha is only used for Thai foods…but in reality, sriracha is just a chili pepper sauce. Think ketchup made out of chili peppers instead of tomatoes. And while it is a bit spicy, the chilies used in sriracha are far less spicy than jalapenos. (If you are concerned about the spiciness, start with a small amount and work your way up.) So go rediscover your inner child and make a gourmet grilled cheese creation for lunch today!
Ingredients
- 4 large slices of bakery-style bread, such as country or peasant bread
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 tsp sriracha
- 3 slices deli-style mozzarella cheese, torn in half
- 3 slices deli-style cheddar cheese, torn in half
- 3 strips bacon, cooked
- 4-5 medium-sized slices red onion
- Pickled banana peppers
- Roma tomato, sliced and seeds removed
- salt & pepper kettle chips (or your favorite potato chip)
Instructions
- In a small dish, combine butter and sriracha. Stir until well mixed.
- Spread the sriracha butter on one side of each of the four slices of bread.
- Place 2 slices of bread butter side down.
- Beginning with cheeses, layer the remaining ingredients on top of the bread.
- Place the remaining slices of bread (butter side up) on top of the finished sandwiches.
- Place a grill pan or fry pan over medium heat for several minutes until hot.
- Carefully transfer the sandwiches to the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes per side. Watch closely to ensure that sandwiches do not burn!
This looks amazing. It would be a delicious entry in the Grilled Cheese Academy Recipe Showdown. http://GrilledCheeseAcademy.com
Thanks, Amanda…I will definitely check out the Grilled Cheese Academy Recipe Showdown!