Beyond Grilled Cheese

Check it:

This is the picture of comfort.  You can't get more comfortable than this dog.  He's fluffed the comforter and the blanket to just so, and he is a happy camper.  I know this because he snores.  Sometimes he sticks his face in the blanket to block out light.  Diva.  He might be mostly blind and deaf, but he's developed a sixth sense to know when I even think about moving.  Because he doesn't want to be on the bed by himself.

Sometimes (read: most times) he's interested in our dinner.  He'll stand right next to your chair and bark with a wild look in his eyes.  And when we have chicken?  There's no stopping him.  If his bark wasn't so funny, I'd probably get tired of it.  I can't sufficiently describe it, but he sounds like an old man complaining.  One day I'll record it for you.

He was definitely okay with the bacon in this sandwich.  I was okay with the bacon in this sandwich.  In fact, I was more than okay with this whole sandwich.  Wanna know what it is?  Oh good.  Check it out: Bacon Egg Grilled Cheese.  Did your head explode?  I hope not because then you wouldn't be able to make this sandwich.

This...is not an everyday sandwich.  I would probably keel over if I tried to make this more than once a month.  But it's totally tasty with the melty cheese, runny egg yolk, salty, crispy bacon, and the tang and spice of a hot sauce sour cream.  Oh yeah.

I'm almost embarrassed to provide step-by-steps because it's way simple.  Almost.  Am I the last to hear about this?  I mean, it just occurred to me the other night, but has the rest of the world been making this and I've just been clueless?  It could happen.

Butter one side of two slices of bread.  It is a grilled cheese sammich after all.  Slice some cheese for each side of the bread.  I had both yellow and white extra sharp cheddar.  Boom.

Fry some bacon til it's awesomely crispy.  Two slices should do it.  And if you happen to eat a little bit of one slice, well, that's okay.

 Fry an egg in the bacon grease.  Yes, the bacon grease.  You will never have a better fried egg than one fried in bacon grease.  You can fry it how you like: sunny side up, over easy, over medium, or over hard.    I prefer over easy or sunny side up because I like the yolk nice and runny.

When the egg reaches your preferred doneness, transfer it from the pan to the sandwich.

Heat a small or medium pan (depending on how many sandwiches you're making) to medium heat and carefully put your sandwich in the pan.  Let each side get a nice golden brown and let the cheese get melty and gooey.

While the sandwich is browning, stir together a few tablespoons of sour cream and a few hits of hot sauce.  The hot sauce is optional, and you can adjust the amount depending on your tolerance for heat.  P.S. I'd been thinking about eggs and hot sauce all day, which made me sing the Dexter theme all. day. long.

When your grilled cheese is done, slice it into pretty triangles and give the plate a big dollop of spicy sour cream.  See the ooey gooey cheese and burst of egg yolk?  I die.

This kicked off a completely awesome weekend.

You could totes serve this with some hash browns or home fries.  I just ate the sandwich by itself because I had dessert waiting on me.  In retrospect, some awesome potatoes would round this out.  Or maybe a green salad if you're going for that elusive thing called balance.  As grilled cheeses go, it def goes the extra mile, but it's still simple enough that even my brother-in-law could make it.  Oh you didn't know about his inability to make a grilled cheese?  Neither did I until last weekend.  It's not that he can't cook.  He just can't cook a grilled cheese.  He's passed two states' bar exams, but the grilled cheese eludes him.  Life is funny that way.

Bacon Egg Grilled Cheese (makes 1 sandwich)

2 slices white bread (don't go wheat on me here, people!)
Butter
Extra sharp cheddar or the cheese of your choice
2 slices bacon
1 egg

• Butter one side of each slice of bread.  Slice cheese to cover the other sides.  
• Fry bacon over medium heat in a medium pan.  When bacon is crispy, drain on paper towels.  Break slices and place over cheese on the sandwich.
• Crack the egg into the pan and fry in the bacon grease.  When egg reaches preferred level of doneness, transfer to sandwich and place on top of bacon.  Carefully put sandwich together.
• Heat a clean small pan to medium heat.  Carefully place sandwich in the pan and cook each side until golden brown, flipping once or twice.  Cheese should melt completely.  When sandwich is golden brown, transfer to plate and serve.