Grilled Cheese – the November Comfort Food

I don’t know about you all, but at this point, the 26th of November, I’m just about Thanksgiving-reciped out. Everywhere I turn for my foodie inspiration fix, it’s cranberry sauce this, sweet potatoes that. Debates about whether it’s better to brine a bird or just deep fry the hell out of it and get it over with. Stuffing cooked in the bird; stuffing cooked outside of the bird and then, um, stuffed in the bird; stuffing going no where near the bird until both are plated.

Now, I’m not cooking tomorrow, so, I have the luxury of not worrying about the perfect anything. (Christmas will be another story, as I host the fam and spend all of December fretting over the menu.) I just get to eat all the goodies, happily oblivious to the behind-the-scenes decision-making dramas.

Tonight, I was just really craving something simple, something cozy, something normal. And what says that better than rich, melty grilled cheese….

I’m always looking for the perfect cheese combo, and after conferring with my favorite cheese monger, I settled on a gruyere and sharp cheddar mixture. A little honey dijon mustard, and oh-em-gee, did that hit the spot. You don’t even need to write down the recipe for this one, peeps. Just read it through once and go with your gut.

Grate (yes, grate, don’t slice) the cheeses and mix them evenly. Butter one side of all of your bread slices (all the way out to the edges) and place them butter side down on your griddle over medium heat. Spread mustard on half of the bread slices (I just drizzled mine out of the bottle); spread roasted garlic lightly on the rest. Distribute the grated cheese on the halves with the mustard. Top with the roasted garlic bread slices to finish assembling the sandwich. Flip the sandwiches over and begin monitoring the outsides for browning. When the cheese has started to melt and the bread is toasted to your desired shade of golden, slice and enjoy.