Grilled Goat Cheese, Cheddar and Apple Sandwich

There’s a restaurant in my home town that has a build your own sandwich option on their menu. The meats, cheeses, and sandwich add ons are over the top- think homemade aioli, smoked onions, and cured Moroccan olives. I have a friend from high school, who, whenever we go, always goes the make your own sandwich route, and each time she does it she asks for a grilled cheese with goat cheese and granny smith apples.  I have never ordered the sandwich myself but I’ve always had that combo (in sandwich form) in the back of my mind.

Sunday was an apartment day. One of those days I stayed tucked inside folding laundry, getting our home organized before we leave town for the holidays, and purchasing the last of my Christmas gifts. On days like this I usually forego lunch and just snack my way through the afternoon.  But today I noticed my fridge contained both goat cheese and granny smith apples and I was quickly reminded of my friend’s favorite grilled cheese.

I don’t need to tell you how good grilled cheese is, but what I can tell is this combo is a keeper. I added cheddar into the mix to balance the texture. In my mind a grilled cheese isn’t complete without a good melting cheese in between the bread, so the cheddar gives you that. It’s also a natural complement to granny smith apples and pairs well with the tangy goat cheese. As you can see from the photos this is a seriously gooey, melt, and totally irresistible grilled cheese. I could have eaten six!

Grilled Goat Cheese, Cheddar, and Apple Sandwich
Recipe for 1 sandwich

• 2 slices whole wheat bread
• 3 T goat cheese
• 1/4 cup grated sharp cheddar
• 1/4 of a granny smith apple, thinly sliced
• s+p
• softened butter for grilling

Spread the goat cheese on one slice of bread. Top it with a single layer of apples and the shredded cheddar. Season with salt and pepper.  Top it with the second slice of bread and press down gently.  Take a bit of softened butter and spread it on the outward facing side of the top piece of bread. Set a small frying pan to medium low heat and place the sandwich in the pan, buttered side down. Cook for 5 minutes until just golden brown. Before flipping the sandwich, spread butter on the other side of the sandwich that’s not yet grilled. Flip and then cook for an additional 5 minutes until the bread is golden brown and the cheese fully melted. The key to a good grilled cheese is cooking it slowly at low heat- don’t rush it!