Kentucky Hot Brown

Course: Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner, Sandwich

Cuisine: Southern, U.S.

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 1

Servings: people

Calories: 933kcal

Author: Kris Longwell

This Kentucky Hot Brown is decadent and so extremely fulfilling. Get top-notch ingredients, and you will be in open-faced sandwich heaven! The sauce can be prepared a day in advance and rewarmed before using.

Print Recipe

Equipment

2 baking sheets, or a large cast iron skillet

Ingredients

FOR THE MORNAY SAUCE

2½ cups whole milk
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 cups cheddar cheese white, grated, you'll need more for the sandwich, see below
¼ cup Parmesan cheese finely grated
¼ teaspoon nutmeg ground
1 teaspoon hot sauce ie, Crystals, Louisiana, Tobasco
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE SANDWICHES

1 lb applewood smoked bacon thick cut
2 large tomatoes sliced, you'll need 6 to 8 slices
1 tablespoon olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 slices white bread thick slices, country white
4 tablespoon unsalted butter room temperature
2 lbs roast turkey sliced into thick slices (¼-inch is good)
1½ cups cheddar cheese white, shredded
½ cup Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoon chives chopped, for garnish

Instructions

MAKE THE MORNAY SAUCE

In a small saucepan, bring the milk to a simmer over medium heat.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and then add the flour, whisking for about 1 minute.
Slowly whisk in the heated milk and bring to a simmer. Continue to cook, whisking frequently, until thickened, about 5 - 7 minutes. (If becomes too thick, add a little more milk).
Remove from heat and stir in both of the cheeses until melted. Mix in the nutmeg and hot sauce and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cover and set aside.

PREPARE THE SANDWICHES

Cook the bacon in the oven or in a large skillet until crisp. Set aside.
Preheat the broiler on high.
Place the tomato slices on a baking sheet, drizzle with oil, and season with salt and pepper.
Butter both sides of the bread slices and place on a second baking sheet.
If both baking sheets can fit under the broiler, place both the tomatoes and bread in the oven. Flip the tomatoes and bread after about 1 minute. Keep an eye on them, don't let burn! If you don't have room to broil both tomatoes and bread at the same time, do them one at a time.
To build the sandwiches, place toasted bread slices on a baking sheet or in a cast-iron skillet (you may need to use two baking sheets). Top each slice of toast with one or two slices of turkey. Spoon about ½ cup of the sauce over the turkey, and then sprinkle on the cheeses, evenly distributed across all sandwiches.
Turn the broiler to low, and cook until the cheese is melted and starting to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Again, keep an eye on them, don't let them burn!
Transfer the sandwiches to plates and top with a tomato slice or two, a couple of strips of bacon, and garnish with chives. Serve at once!

Video

Notes

Although we highly recommend making the country white bread from scratch, any good-quality sliced bread will work just fine.

We get our turkey from the deli section of our favorite supermarket. Ask to have it slice nice and thick, about ¼-inch. We use smoked Black Forest, but whatever is your favorite will work well.

The Mornay sauce can be made the day before and then gently reheated on the stove before serving.

These are also fun to serve in individual cast iron skillets or individual casserole dishes. But, it's also very impressive when transferred to plates and served individually.

Nutrition