This is a classic gourmet grilled cheese sandwich. I’ll be making this again and again. Some people might consider this a variation on a reuben. I really love a great reuben sandwich. Take me to a great deli and I’ll order a reuben 90% of the time. Now, a good reuben needs at least a half inch thick layer of quality corned beef. Everybody knows this! This sandwich is different – you have a layer of crumbled bacon that is more of an accent than the main ingredient. I don’t miss the thick layer of meat at all. I love this sandwich for the wonderful balance of flavors and gooeyness. It’s just as good as any reuben in my book.
This sandwich has a nice amount of tanginess from the dressing and sauerkraut, a bit of heat from the chiles, and the wonderful flavor of gooey Jarlsberg cheese with bits of smokey bacon. Yum!
Personally, I favor using medium hot to hot green chiles. You could even use jalapenos. Mild chiles add a nice dimension to the flavor, but are generally overshadowed by the bacon and sauerkraut.
Note: These are big. Some people will only be able to eat half a sandwich. The photo above is only 1/2 a sandwich, so each piece is actually 1/4 a sandwich.
- 8 slices of good sourdough bread (from a square 24-oz loaf)
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup ketchup
- 1 tsp horseradish sauce (I used McCaffrey's Rocky Mountain Sauce)
- 1 lb Jarlsberg cheese, sliced into ⅛ inch slices
- 1 cup diced medium hot or hot green chiles
- 1 cup sauerkraut, drained and blotted on paper towels
- 8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
- In a bowl, blend mayonnaise, ketchup and horseradish to make a smooth dressing. Set aside.
- Lay the bread out in pairs, to assemble 4 sandwiches. Spread each slice with a thin layer of the dressing.
- Cover 1 slice bread for each sandwich with cheese slices. Cover the remaining bread slices sparsely with more cheese slices. Use your judgement on how much cheese you want on second slice of bread, depending on how gooey you want the sandwiches.
- Top 1 half of each sandwich with crumbled bacon and the other half with diced green chiles. Then spread the sauerkraut over the bacon. Be sure the sauerkraut is barely moist and not dripping with liquid.
- Flip the green chile side on top of each bacon-sauerkraut side.
- Place 2 large nonstick skillets on burners over medium heat.
- For each sandwich, butter the top and then put the sandwich butter side down on a hot skillet. After all 4 sandwiches are on the hot skillets, butter the tops.
- Cook for about 5 minutes or until golden brown, then flip and brown other side to a golden color. Be sure to check progress every couple minutes so they don't burn.
- When done, transfer each to a plate with a spatula and cut in half. If cheese hasn't fully melted, microwave 20-30 seconds.
- Serve & enjoy!
Maybe I go a bit overboard on the cheese, but I love having it oozing out the sides.
Photos of preparation steps:
1. One sandwich, cheese & bacon on 1 half and cheese and green chiles on the other.
2. Add sauerkraut on top of bacon.
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