This idea has been bouncing around my head ever since Joy made these a few years ago, and I swear I’ve been drooling since. They are so rich, so indulgent, but practically healthy as far as sandwiches go!
One onion per person shouldn’t scare you at all – first of all, because we are Kitchen Fearless, but also because they reduce down to nothing through caramelization. If you’ve caramelized onions with me before, you know the magic of whiskey in deglazing all those good burned bits on the bottom of the pan – that’s where the flavor is.
French Onion Grilled Cheese
Fits right in with cozy comfort food - melty caramelized onions! gooey gruyere! - but without the afternoon food coma.
Ingredients
- 2 T. butter
- 1 T. oil
- 2 large yellow onions sliced
- 2 T. whiskey or bourbon
- salt & pepper to taste
- 4 slices fresh bread
- 2 T. mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup gruyere shredded (or more, more is good)
Instructions
Caramelizing the Onions
- Melt butter & oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat.
- Add the onions. Stir every 5 minutes or so, making sure to scrape up all the good stuff on the bottom of the pan, until onions are completely brown. Reduce the heat if ends begin to blacken.
- When the onions are a dark, rich brown, deglaze the skillet with whiskey and scrape the bottom until liquid has evaporated. Season with salt & pepper to taste and set aside.
Making the Sandwich
- Spread mayo on the outside of one slice. Top with a quarter of the cheese, half the onions, another quarter of the cheese, and another slice of bread with mayo on the top. Repeat for the second sandwich.
- Grill sandwiches over medium heat in a large pan until bottoms are golden brown. Flip and grill until other side is golden and cheese is melted.
Notes
Adapted from Joy the Baker.
Print Recipe
After you deglaze the skillet and the liquid evaporates, do you remove the residue and put it in the onion mixture? Or do you leave it in the skillet and grill the sandwich in it?
Deglaze the skillet with the onions still in there! They’ll soak up the rich whiskey flavor and the good brown bits will stick right to them.