Simple Pleasures Recipe: Cheese and Onion Sandwich
Recent posts highlighting the pleasures of the ploughman’s lunch and the hotly-debated mayonnaise led to our intense craving for a British-style cheese and onion (and mayo) sandwich. To the uninitiated, this combination might sound odd or, at the very least, like a breath killer. Well, we can’t promise you won’t want to brush your teeth afterward, but we do urge you to give this humble yet satisfying sarnie a try.
A perfect balance of pungent and buttery flavors with a creamy, satisfying texture, the cheese and onion sandwich requires very few ingredients, but there is a lot of room for improvisation depending on what you like and have on hand. You’ll want to use a nice, sharp cheese such as Cheddar, Double Gloucester, Cotswold, or Red Leicester. For the onion, we generally use a combination of sweet white and green onions, but you can also use red onions, shallots, and chives. Add enough mayonnaise or salad cream to hold it all together, but not so much as to overtake the cheese flavor.
Cheese and Onion Sandwich
Makes 2 sandwiches
4 ounces cheese such as Cheddar, Double Gloucester, Cotswold, or Red Leicester
2 tablespoons finely chopped sweet white onions
2 tablespoons finely sliced scallions
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
Salt and pepper
4 slices bread, toasted or untoasted
Butter
Grate the cheese. Combine in a bowl with the onions and mayonnaise. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Spread the mixture between slices of buttered bread.
The filling also makes an excellent topping for baked potatoes.
(Images: Emily Ho)