Hot Ham & Cheese Sandwich with Bacon & Caramelized Onions

  

I am a person who is a huge fan of the hot sandwich.  Well, in all honesty, I am a fan of any kind of sandwich really, but a hot sandwich gets my taste buds tingling in a really special way.

Especially when you start talking about hot ham and cheese sandwiches in foil.  I always used to enjoy making Heavenly Ham & Cheese Hots for the missionaries when they came over to eat.  But it is a hot sandwich for a crowd, and I am no longer a crowd.

But why shouldn't single people be able to enjoy the same types of foods as families or crowds? Why indeed!  I have been on a quest over these past months to small batch some of my favorite eats for the smaller family.

This hot ham sandwich recipe I am sharing with you today is sized perfectly for one, although if you are more than one, you can certainly multiply it to feed as many people as you like, or even check out the recipe link I dropped above which makes 12 sliders.

 

This version is slightly different in that it uses a nice fresh Kaiser roll. Today I chose poppy seed.  It also included sweet caramelized onions and crisp slices of smoky bacon.

This is the full deal!  And yes, incredibly delicious!

 

I do not want to fall into the rut of eating frozen dinners or simply grazing, or eating out just because there is just me in the house.  I shouldn't have to wait until I have people invited over to cook a nice meal.

There is no reason on earth why a singleton shouldn't eat as well as a family eats.

This is my quest at any rate and I am sure that there are many of you out there who have the same challenge, which is to cook decent, delicious meals for one or two.

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE HOT HAM & CHEESE SANDWHICH 

with bacon and caramelized onions

I have managed to downsize the original and make it even tastier with a few special additions. 

• 2 slices of bacon, fried until crisp (or as you desire)
• 1 small onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• pinch sugar
• 2 TBS butter, divided
• 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 fresh Kaiser roll
• 4 slices deli ham
• 2 slices deli swiss cheese

I am often able to buy bacon marked down because it is at its sell by date. I will usually pick up two packages. One package I will cook the whole thing. I then it into an airtight container with wax paper between the layers and freeze it, ready to take out when I have a need or a use for it. 

This is much cheaper than buying the already cooked bacon in the shops, which is expensive and incredibly thinly sliced!

The other package I will open up, roll each slice up tightly and pop them all into an air tight zip lock baggie in a single layer, ready to take out one or two slices as and when I need it.  It also chops incredibly well when frozen in the way for recipes that require your bacon to be chopped. I chop it while its still frozen! 

 

The only faffy bit about this is caramelizing the onion.  I suppose if you wanted to and were thinking straight, you could slice up a whole lot of onions and caramelize them, and then freeze them in small containers for later use.

Or, if it was available to you, you could use a caramelized onion chutney. Now that would be especially good. I miss all the different chutneys that were available in the UK.   There are not a lot on offer here in Canada, although I suppose I could make my own.

I actually have plans to make a mango chutney next time mangos are on offer. I love mango chutney. Its one of the first things we learned how to make in Culinary College.  

 

 

HOW TO MAKE HOT HAM & CHEESE SANDWICH

with bacon & caramelized onions

These really are very easy to make. Probably the most time consuming part is the caramelizing of the onions. If you are not keen you can always leave them out, but I highly recommend you do make them as they really add to the deliciousness of this tasty sandwich! 

Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4.

While the oven is preheating, melt half the butter in a small skillet. Once it begins to foam add the sliced onions and a pinch of sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have begun to caramelize.

 

Melt the remaining butter in a small dish in the microwave. Whisk in the mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Have ready a large square of aluminum foil.

Cut your bun in half through the middle, horizontally. Brush both sides of the bottom half of the bun with some of the butter/mustard mixture.

Layer as follows. ham, cheese, onions, bacon.

 

Brush both sides of the top half of the bun with the butter/mustard mixture. Place on top of the sandwich, cut side down.

Place into the middle of the square of foil. Bring all of the sides of the foil up to cover the bun completely and twist to close.

Place onto a small baking sheet and bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until the sandwich is heated through and the cheese has melted.

Enjoy it while its hot.

 

This really is a delicious sandwich.  I love the combination of salty and sweet.  The saltiness of the bacon and the ham, the sweetness of the caramelized onions and the swiss cheese.

If you wanted to you could use honey mustard Dijon instead of plain Dijon.  That would also be incredibly tasty!

You need only add some crisp vegetable sticks on the side and you have a really decent meal.  Hearty and delicious and very easy to make! 

I really am a fan of the hot sandwich and actually the sandwich altogether. Some of my favorites are: 

ITALIAN BAKED SANDWICH -These are so delicious and easy to make. You can make one large one, or small individuals. Tasty either way you do it!  With mayonnaise, mustard, layers of Italian cold cuts and cheese. All baked together in a toasty bun. Yummilicious! 

ULTIMATE MEATLOAF SANDWICH - Not just any old meatloaf sandwich but a delicious combination of slices of leftover meatloaf, browned in a skillet and tucked between slices of crusty bread with lettuce, cheese and homemade onion rings.  Delicious! 

BBQ CHICKEN SANDWICH - Leftover cooked chicken, heated up in some BBQ sauce and piled between layers of toasty bun with some crisp, cool and creamy coleslaw.  Fabulously tasty! 

Hot Ham & Cheese Sandwich with Bacon & Caramelized Onions

Yield: 1 sandwich

Author: Marie Rayner

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 25 MinTotal time: 40 Min

Quantities are for one delicious sandwich, but can be easily multiplied to feed more!

Ingredients

For one sandwich:

• 2 slices of bacon, fried until crisp (or as you desire)
• 1 small onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• pinch sugar
• 2 TBS butter, divided
• 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 fresh Kaiser roll
• 4 slices deli ham
• 2 slices deli swiss cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4.
2. While the oven is preheating, melt half the butter in a small skillet. Once it begins to foam add the sliced onions and a pinch of sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have begun to caramelize.
3. Melt the remaining butter in a small dish in the microwave. Whisk in the mustard and Worcestershire sauce.
4. Have ready a large square of aluminum foil.
5. Cut your bun in half through the middle. Brush both sides of the bottom half of the bun with some of the butter/mustard mixture.
6. Layer as follows. ham, cheese, onions, bacon.
7. Brush both sides of the top half of the bun with the butter/mustard mixture. Place on top of the sandwich, cut side down.
8. Place into the middle of the square of foil. Bring all of the sides of the foil up to cover the bun completely and twist to close.
9. Place onto a small baking sheet and bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until the sandwich is heated through and the cheese has melted.
10. Enjoy it while its hot.

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