Kentucky Hot Brown Sandwiches

Last day of February and my birthday is in three days, which means Ryan is doing the mysterious planning thing he does that involves trying to be subtle about the phone calls and the closed browser tabs and being approximately transparent. I said I noticed he was planning something. He said he was not planning anything. I said I have been studying you for three years and I know when you are planning something. He said fine. He was planning something. I said I would pretend not to know. He said thank you.

I have been cooking more project food lately — the kind that takes time and thought rather than the quick weeknight things. This week: a proper beef Wellington. Beef tenderloin wrapped in mushroom duxelles and prosciutto and puff pastry and roasted. It is elaborate and precise and the kind of thing you make because you want to master it, not because it is practical. It was not perfect — the pastry was slightly soggy on the bottom — but the beef was exactly right and the flavors were the sum of everything working together. Ryan said it was the most impressive thing he had ever eaten in our kitchen. I said it will be better the second time. He said when is the second time. I said when I want to make it again. He said he was going to make sure he was home.

March 3rd in three days. I will be 27. I have been 26 for the whole first year of my marriage and the start of trying and the cacio e pepe and the framed drawing and the baking station and Pedro the pepper plant that did not come back this winter but whose pot I have not moved. Twenty-seven means: I have been teaching for five years. I have been with Ryan for almost three. I have been writing the blog for three. I have been carrying Jess for over five. I am ready for 27. I think 27 is going to be something.

The Wellington reminded me that I am at my best in the kitchen when I slow down and commit to the process — when the dish requires something of me. The Kentucky Hot Brown is that same kind of recipe: layered, deliberate, nothing thrown together. It is open-faced turkey on thick toast, blanketed in a proper Mornay sauce and finished under the broiler with crispy bacon, and it is the sort of thing you make because it deserves to be made carefully. I have been in a project-food season, and this fits right in.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 thick slices white or sourdough bread, toasted
12 oz roasted turkey breast, sliced
8 strips bacon, cooked until crispy
2 medium tomatoes, sliced
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, for topping
Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
For the Mornay Sauce:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk, warmed
3/4 cup shredded sharp white cheddar
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Pinch of nutmeg

Instructions

Make the Mornay sauce. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Whisk in flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the mixture smells slightly nutty but has not browned. Gradually pour in warmed milk, whisking constantly, and cook until the sauce thickens, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cheddar, Parmesan, salt, pepper, and nutmeg until smooth. Set aside.
Prepare the broiler. Position an oven rack about 6 inches from the broiler element and preheat the broiler to high. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
Assemble the sandwiches. Place toasted bread slices on the prepared baking sheet. Layer turkey evenly over each slice, then top with tomato slices. Ladle Mornay sauce generously over each sandwich, covering the turkey and bread edges completely. Sprinkle each with additional Parmesan.
Broil until golden. Slide the baking sheet under the broiler and cook for 4 to 6 minutes, watching closely, until the sauce is bubbling and the top is golden brown in spots.
Finish and serve. Remove from the oven and immediately cross two strips of bacon over each sandwich. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve at once — these do not wait well.

Nutrition (per serving)

Kentucky Hot Brown Sandwiches — Another Kind of Project Food Worth Getting Right