Grilled Cheddar and Jalapeño Popper Sandwich

This grilled cheddar and jalapeño popper sandwich is stuffed with cream cheese mixed with chile pepper, garlic, and cumin as well as sharp Cheddar and, yes, bacon. Just like those irresistible poppers you down with beer except in an over-the-top rich and gooey sandwich sorta way.

Adapted from Claire Thomson | New Kitchen Basics | Quadrille, 2019

“Happy, happy, happy! A big fat sandwich of deliciousness.” That’s one heck of an endorsement that came from one of our recipe testers. And it pretty much captures the enthusiasm of everyone who tried this inspired grilled Cheddar and jalapeño popper sandwich. And while it takes bravado and a touch of genius to come up with the idea for this brilliant interplay of tangy cream cheese, salty bacon, and warm chile, it barely takes any effort to make it happen in your home kitchen. Melty, cheesy, and mood-lifting, indeed.–Jenny Howard

*NOTE: How To Make This Grilled Cheese Sandwich As Hot (Or Not) As You’d Like

You can easily tweak the heat in this grilled cheese sandwich to exactly suit your liking. Turbo-charge it by using 2 full jalapeños for the cream cheese mixture. You can also amp up the overall heat by using a peppered cheese or opting for a chile-flavored cream cheese. Or tame the heat by using fewer chiles and removing some or all of the seeds and membranes prior to chopping. (This is where most of the tongue-tingling fire resides.)

Grilled Cheddar & Jalapeño Popper Sandwich

• Quick Glance
• 30 M
• 30 M
• Serves 4

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Ingredients

• 7 ounces cream cheese, preferably full-fat, at room temperature
• 1 to 2 jalapeños or other green chile peppers, seeds and membranes removed if desired*, finely chopped (see NOTE above)
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground cumin, to taste
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 oz), at room temperature
• 8 slices sturdy white bread, such as sourdough or rustic white
• 8 to 9 ounces sharp Cheddar, coarsely grated
• 8 slices bacon (not thick cut), cooked until crisp (optional)

Directions

• 1. In a small bowl, stir together the cream cheese, jalapeño or green chile, cumin, garlic, and a few grinds of pepper. Taste and, if desired, add more cumin or pepper.
• 2. Place the bread on a baking sheet. Spread butter on 1 side of each slice of bread. Flip 4 slices of bread and spread each of these with an equal amount of the cream cheese mixture (about 3 tablespoons per slice). You may have a small amount of cream cheese left over. Scatter the Cheddar over the cream cheese, dividing it evenly, and, if using bacon, finish with 2 slices per sandwich. Top with the remaining 4 bread slices, placing them with the buttered sides facing out.
• 3. Place a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Fry the sandwiches, in batches if necessary, until golden brown on each side with the cheese melted through in the middle, 3 to 4 minutes per side, give or take a little given the exact heat under the skillet.
• 4. Remove the skillet from the heat. Serve the grilled cheese sandwiches immediately, sliced in half if desired.

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from Leite's Culinaria http://bit.ly/2PxmuYr http://bit.ly/2vqZMbe