These simple ingredients take on new life when cooked over a grill. You need a fairly flat grilling basket to tightly sandwich the bread together and allow for flipping, but the charred flavors of the delicious bread, juicy tomatoes, tangy onion and melty cheese do not taste the same cooked any other way (although still probably delicious cooked on the stove!) This is a South African dish traditionally served by fancier folks as an appetizer at a summer grill out.
Ingredients
- 8 slices of La Brea Rosemary loaf, sliced ¼ inch thick
- 8 oz. softened butter
- 16 oz. mature cheddar, the sharper the better
- 2 x thinly sliced, very-ripe tomatoes
- ½ thinly sliced red onion
- Salt and pepper to season
Preparation
- Get your fire going. The coals need to be warm, not hot, with a space to put the toasties away from direct flame so the cheese can melt without the bread burning.
- Shred the cheese – home shredded cheese is best for melting as it does not have the corn starch coating pre-shredded varieties do.
- Butter and season all the slices of bread generously and lay 4 of them flat, butter side down.
- Add a layer of cheese to each slice, about 1½ slices tomato, and a few rings of onion and generously season with salt and pepper.
- Add another generous sprinkle of cheese and put the other slice on the sandwich – butter side out!
- Arrange your 4 sandwiches on the grill basket and fasten securely so it holds them tightly and you don’t lose your filling as you manipulate the basket.
- Grill over a low fire, flipping frequently (make sure that basket is closed tightly!), and keeping away from extreme heat, until the cheese has melted and the bread is golden brown, about 8 minutes.
- Slice into quarters and serve.
Allergen declaration:
- Allergens are dependent on the brand of products you purchase; please check the packages of the ingredients you purchase carefully!
- Inherent allergens: Milk, Wheat Gluten
