Triple Decker French Onion Grilled Cheese

This sandwich, a crispy, gooey number that tastes like french onion soup, is an indulgence that may send you to the couch for an afternoon of napping or watching any old movie that happens to be on. Especially if you eat it with a cold beer, like me. 

Speaking of movies, I learned this way of making a grilled cheese from the perfectly pleasant movie "Chef" and I adapted it for this triple header because it's even better to get three times the crunch and goo (I don't call this blog crunchygooey for nothing). I threw radishes in for brightness but they just got in the way. No point trying to add a "salad" note here.

Remember, leave those radishes off. They look silly anyway, like a Muppet face.

You grill each slice open-faced so the bread gets crisp and the cheese starts to melt. Then they stick together (and the middle slice has a little crunch).

Spreading aioli

Triple Decker French Onion Grilled Cheese 

makes one sandwich

1 1/4 cups grated Gruyere cheese (about 5 ounces)

3 tablespoons caramelized onions*

1-2 tablespoons faux aioli (one smashed garlic clove mixed with 2 tablespoons mayonnaise)

2 tablespoons softened butter (preferable salted)

3 slices best-quality white bread, cut thick

* I deglaze with wine.

1. Preheat a griddle or pan large enough to hold three slices of bread over medium heat. You can also use two pans. You may need to fiddle with the heat as you go along these brown evenly and the cheese melts. 

2. Spread butter on one side of each slice of bread and aioli on the other (you may not use all of it).

3. Sprinkle 1/3 of cheese on top of the aioli on each slice.

4. Melt a little butter in three spots in the pan and place your slices on top of them so you have three open faced cheese sandwiches going. Wiggle them around a bit so they won't stick.

5. When they're lightly golden and crisp and the cheese is starting to melt, stack one on top of the other with the middle slice going crispy side down. 

6. Spread more butter on the corners of the sandwich then flip (to insure even crispy browning). Repeat on the other side.  Remove, slice and enjoy.