Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwich

A grilled cheese sandwich of any denomination is, for me, the stuff of dreams. A grilled ham with Gruyère surrounded with butter and Dijon mustard is cause for fat men everywhere to celebrate! This fat man generally doesn’t care for Dijon mustard, but I must confess, I made 2 sandwiches—one with Dijon mustard and one without—and the grilled cheese with the mustard was, hands down, the superior sandwich. I used sliced Gruyère, and both sandwiches took about 10 minutes.

Let me lay this out, s l o w l y: Ham and cheese, ensconced in butter and Dijon, surrounded by buttery, browned, crisp, bread. Got 10 minutes? Thank us later.

This is a lovely, decadent, simple sandwich. There’s not a single thing wrong with this grilled ham and cheese sandwich. I might use a tad less butter next time, but it’s also great as is.

I found medium-high heat a little too hot, so I turned my burner down to medium so the bread would be golden and the cheese melted. I used grated cheese because I think it melts better.

This is the most perfect grilled ham and cheese sandwich. In my mind, the quality of the ingredients is what makes this amazing or okay. A high-quality Dijon mustard is a must. Perhaps a stone-ground Belgian one would work as well. I used homemade baked ham that was nice and juicy. For cheese, I used thin slices of Gruyère. I never have any luck using shredded cheese, as somehow it always starts falling as I fry the sandwich in the pan.

The hands-on time is the same as the total, about 10 minutes. This is perfect for a quick dinner, snacks if you have a house full of kids, or even for a a tailgating event, as you can cut the sandwiches into small easy-to-eat triangles.

What a great way to turn an ordinary sandwich into a decadent one! This is a simple, straightforward grilled ham and cheese sandwich recipe. I love the addition of the Dijon. I would have this for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. This took less than 5 minutes to throw together and 10 minutes total time. I went easy on the butter on the inside of the sandwich.

This grilled ham and cheese sandwich took about 20 minutes to make total—a quick and easy supper. I used melted clarified butter and brioche and I brushed the melted butter onto the bread with a pastry brush. I used grated cheese, which I pressed down onto the ham to keep in place, and fried the assembled sandwich in melted butter.

I served mine with a garnish of lamb’s lettuce and a poached egg on top. My brioche had a very soft texture, even when fried, and needed to be cooked gently to ensure that it didn’t burn. This meant that the cheese might’ve melted more if I’d used a more robust bread, but I was happy with the taste and would make this recipe again, perhaps using a different bread.