Pimento Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Pimento Grilled Cheese Sandwich

For the Grilled Cheese:

2 slices hearty white sandwich bread

1-2 tablespoons of your favorite mayonnaise, as needed

prepared pimento cheese (recipe below)

nonstick cooking spray for the pan, if needed

For the Pimento Cheese:

Yield 1½ cups, enough for about 4 sandwiches

8 ounces extra-sharp cheddar, grated (do not purchase pre-grated cheese)

¼ cup cream cheese, room temperature

scant ½ cup finely diced pimento peppers

3 tablespoons of your favorite mayonnaise (we used Duke’s)

a pinch of crushed red chili flakes

salt to taste

Combine all ingredients together in a large bowl. As you add the cream cheese, break it up into small pieces and scatter it around the bowl to make it easier to mix in. Use a rubber spatula to mix everything together until the mixture is smooth and homogeneous. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill the mixture until ready to use. It’s best to make the pimento cheese a couple of hours early to give the mixture time to chill and set up slightly.

To make the Grilled Cheese:

Preheat your oven to 350˚F.

Use a cast iron or heavy-bottomed oven-safe skillet. You can use an oven-safe nonstick pan, if desired. If you aren’t using a nonstick pan, you can use a little cooking spray to lightly coat your pan. Heat your pan over medium-high heat.

Spoon a generous amount of pimento cheese onto one side of the bread, close the sandwich. Spread a layer of mayonnaise on one side of the sandwich. Place into the heated pan, mayonnaise side down, and cook for 2-3 minutes until golden brown on one side. Brush the top side of the sandwich with mayonnaise, flip over and place in the oven. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the bottom-side of the bread is golden brown. Remove from the oven and enjoy.