The Ultimate Kentucky Hot Brown Recipe
She’s a legend. She’s an icon. The Kentucky Hot Brown is the greatest open-faced sandwich this side of anywhere, and my version takes the classic up and over the top, but only just a little bit. We’ll top slices of bread with roasted turkey, fresh juicy tomato slices, and a tricked out gooey mornay sauce before broiling them to perfection. A scattering of punchy scallions completes this truly extraordinary scene.
- Yield: Serves 4 to 6 1x
- Category: Sandwiches
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 16 slices bacon
- Freshly cracked black pepper, plus more as needed
- 1 cup + 3 tablespoons shredded/grated parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup salted butter
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons chicken stock concentrate
- 2 cups heavy cream (half and half also works here)
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2.5 ounces fontina cheese, cut/torn into smaller pieces (usually half a package)
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 8 slices lightly toasted bread, any kind you love (sourdough is excellent for this)
- 1.5 pounds thick-cut roasted turkey slices
- 3 to 4 heirloom or Roma tomatoes, sliced (enough for each sandwich to get 2 – 3 slices)
- Sliced green onions and chopped parsley, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 40 degrees F. Adjust a rack to the center position. Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Arrange the bacon slices in an even layer on the prepared pan. Season the bacon generously with freshly cracked black pepper (really go for it here). Sprinkle the cup of shredded Parmesan all over the bacon – and use more if you like. Bake for about 12 – 15 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy, checking after about 10 minutes. The bake time will vary depending on the thickness and brand of your bacon. Remove from the oven and transfer the slices to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and stock concentrate and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring to combine.
- Whisking to prevent lumps, add the cream and stir until the bechamel sauce is totally smooth. Reduce the heat to low and add the beaten egg, fontina, and allspice. Stir to melt the cheese and season your (now mornay) sauce with a little more salt if you think it needs it.
- Preheat your oven’s broiler, and keep the rack in the center position.
- To assemble the sandwiches, arrange the 8 slices of toasted bread in an even layer on a large baking sheet. Top each slice with some turkey, a couple/few slices of tomato, and a generous amount of the creamy mornay sauce. Broil for a minute or two, until the sauce is bubbly, lightly browned in spots and the tips of the bread are beginning to darken.
- Serve these open-faced, topped with a couple of cris-crossed slices of your parmesan and peppercorn-crusted bacon and some chopped green onions and parsley if you like. This is a fork and knife kind of affair, but you can also just pick the sandwich up and enjoy it utensil free if you prefer.