The Ultimate Allium Grilled Cheese
This grilled cheese sandwich is loaded with a fragrant allium mixture and a crispy, shaggy cheddar crust, making it a truly decadent comfort food.
- Prep10 min
- Cook8 min
- Total18 min
- DifficultyEasy
- Servings1
This is not your average grilled cheese. It's a celebration of the allium family—shallots, leeks, scallions, and onions—combined with sharp cheddar and a clever mayonnaise trick that creates an irresistible crispy crust.
The technique of pressing grated cheese onto the outside of the bread adds a whole new dimension of texture, while the mayonnaise ensures the bread doesn't scorch. It's a sandwich that's both genius and completely indulgent.
Ingredients
Servings
Converted amounts are rounded.
Method
- Gather a group of shallot, leek, scallions, and onion—as many members of the allium family as you have on hand—and chop them finely into a small heap. Add a minced clove of garlic.
- Grate a few generous handfuls of the best cheddar you can afford. (Montgomery is particularly appealing), set a little aside, and gently combine the rest with the onion mixture.
- Butter one side of thickly sliced bread and heap as much of the mixture as possible between the slices (butter facing in).
- Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on the outside of the bread (this will keep it from scorching on the griddle).
- Press the reserved grated cheese to the outside of the bread, where it will create a wonderfully crisp and shaggy crust, giving your sandwich an entirely new dimension.
- For less mess, it helps to apply the mayonnaise and cheese first on one side only, lay that side on the griddle, then quickly do the remaining top side while the bottom is sizzling.
- Fry on a heated nonstick griddle or in a nonstick skillet about 4 minutes a side, until the cheese is softly melted.
💡 Tips
- Use a mix of alliums for the best flavor, but any single one works too.
- If you don't have sourdough, any sturdy bread like country loaf will do.
- Serve immediately while the cheese is still gooey and the crust is crispy.
Inspired by a recipe from Food52