Hot Ham and Cheese Sandwiches with Onion Butter

Ok, so who's interested in a guaranteed crowd-pleasing, drippy, cheesy, delicious hot sandwich recipe?   (Anyone? ...Anyone?)

The thought of a hot ham and cheese sandwiches is pretty awesome, but add this amazing onion butter concoction and wow, it'll knock your sock off.   The recipe is pretty flexible.  You can use any kind of bread you like, and kind of ham you have, and feel free to use your favorite cheese (something that melts really well).  

Hot Ham and Cheese Sandwiches with Onion Butter

makes 8 kaiser rolls, 16 dinner rolls, or 1 large Italian loaf, or 2 12-ounce baguettes

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

For the Sandwiches:

• 8 large or 16 small rolls

• 1/2 pound ham (deli ham, leftover ham, chopped ham, whatever)

• 1/2 pound cheese, any that melts well (American, Swiss, Muenster, etc)

For the Onion Butter:

• 8 tablespoons salted butter (yes, salted)

• 1/2 cup finely minced onion

• 3 tablespoons prepared mustard (Dijon, spicy brown, grainy... ooooh)

• 1 teaspoon poppy seeds

• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions

To Make the Onion Butter:

1. Combine butter, onions, mustard, poppy seeds, and lemon juice in a small sauce pan and heat gently, just until the butter is melted and all the ingredients are well combined.

2. Cool to a spreadable consistency. Refrigerate leftovers.

To make Sandwiches:

1. Place bottom half of rolls cut side up on a sheet pan.

2. Spread 1/2 the onion butter evenly onto the halves

3. Top with 1/2 the cheese.

4. Add all the ham.

5. Add remaining cheese.

6. Finish with the rest of the onion butter.

7. Place top half of rolls on sandwiches.

8. Cover pan tightly with foil and heat in a 300F oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the sandwiches are heated through and the cheese melts.

Notes

• Sandwiches can be assembled up to 2 days in advance, but be sure to store them in an airtight container to contain the smell of raw onions in your fridge.

• Sandwiches can also be wrapped in foil and placed in a slow cooker on high heat until cheese melts, about an hour.

Pork Tenderloin with Honey Mustard Pan Sauce

I love Pork Tenderloins, not only because they taste so darn good, but because they cook up very quickly. I can have two of them on the dinner table in less than an hour, which includes making this delectable Honey Mustard Pan Sauce.

I found the recipe on a great blog called Oui, Chef by Steve Dunn. Steve completed a 2-year professional hiatus during which time he indulged in his "long held passion for cooking by moving to France to study the culinary arts" and immersed himself in "all things French." He's a comical writer and a Foodie Dad who wants to teach his kids how to cook excellent food. His photography skills aren't bad either!

Okay, let's cook:

First let me ask you - do you cook with Shallots? They have the most amazing flavor that some describe as a cross between onions and garlic. I think they have a kind of smoky quality as well. Mmm, mmm, mmm. Buy some the next time you see them at the grocery store - they last for months!

The sauce is easy to make.  Simply saute the shallots and garlic together for a minute.

Then add the tomato paste and continue to saute until the paste starts to caramelize.

The last step is to add the remaining ingredients, stir to combine, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until the mixture reaches a nice sauce consistency.

It's really good.  I hope you'll give it a try.

Pork Tenderloin with Honey Mustard Pan Sauce

makes 6 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 pork tenderloins, trimmed (1 to 1.25 pounds each)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 2 tablespoons minced shallots

• 1 tablespoon tomato paste

• 2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard

• 2 tablespoons honey

• 2 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)

• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1 1/3 cups chicken broth

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425F. 

2. Trim excess fat and silver skin from tenderloins; dry well and season well with Kosher salt and pepper.  Note: if the small ends of your tenderloin are thin, you may want to tie it like I show in this post. 

3. Heat a large oven-safe frying pan on high heat until very hot (really good quality cookware is a must).

4. Sear all sides of the tenderloins in olive oil until they have a nice brown crust all over (brown equals flavor!!).

5. Transfer the pan to the preheated oven and roast for about 15-20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the pork reaches 145F.

6. Remove the pan from the oven; place tenderloins on a cutting board, covered, to rest for 10 minutes while you make a sauce in the same pan.

To make the Honey Mustard Pan Sauce:

1. Return the pan to the stove top over medium heat, add the garlic and shallots and cook until the aroma dives you bonkers (about a minute). 

2. Add tomato paste, scraping up browned bits from the bottom of the pan. 

3. Saute until tomato paste starts to caramelize a bit - don't let it burn, just brown slightly. 

4. Add mustard, honey, vinegar, thyme, salt, pepper, and broth. 

5. Be sure to scape up all the flavor from the bottom of the pan. 

6. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, stirring occasionally until sauce thickens, about 10 minutes.

7. Slice pork diagonally into medallions; serve with generous amounts of sauce.

Note

• Steve's version called for only one tenderloin, but I found the recipe make enough sauce for two.

adapted from The CIA's Gourmet Meals in Minutes