Open Faced Hot Ham and Cheese Sandwiches

Smoky, melty and cheesy are what these Open Faced Hot Ham and Cheese Sandwiches are made of. Boar’s Head SmokeMaster^™ Black Forest Ham is the perfect base for these sandwiches that are perfect for a quick dinner, tailgate party or cozy fall meal to gather round the table with family.

Fall is in the air and now that I have embraced the fact that summer is officially over (until next year my dear friend)  I am dreaming of all things cozy. Pumpkin spice lattes, apple picking, the changing of the leaves, soup and these hot ham and cheese sandwiches.

While there is nothing like summer’s bounty, there is something to be said about the amazing foods you find in Autumn.  Squash, apples, pomegranates and pumpkins to name just a few.  I myself am particularly excited about going apple picking with the kids and picking out our pumpkins for Halloween.

Last year was the first time I had EVER gone apple picking and I loved every second of it.  the fun lasted long after the trip as I was baking up warm apple pie (with ice cream, that’s a year round thang, sorry hubs), applesauce, and serving my kids apple slices until they were begging me for something else.

 So with the changing of produce, comes the changing of the weather.  I have already started to make soups, chilis and casseroles as the temperatures are dropping here, ever so slightly.

I indulged in a PSL and bought my first pair of boots for the year.  I’ve roughly sketched out my “what to make this month” calendar and all I can say is, get ready for some deliciously soul warming foods.

I love foods that warm the soul and for me anything that is smoky speaks to me.  I enjoy smoked food and am thinking sometime in the near future, I’d like to invest in a smoker for myself.  In the meantime, I’ll enjoy purchasing smoked meats and dishes at restaurants and grocery stores until that moment.

I recently discovered Boar’s Head has a Beechwood Smoked^™ Black Forest Ham deli meat.

This ham is naturally smoked with imported German beechwood.  Boar’s Head takes extreme care when smoking this ham with lends to the hams’ rich and smooth taste. I had been craving a hot ham and cheese sandwich so I purchased a pound on a mission to curb my craving and try something new knowing I love smoky flavor.

While the deli counter attendant was slicing the ham, I noticed the Butterkase cheese sitting under the deli counter in the refrigerated case.  I first tried this cheese a few months ago during a tasting and loved it for its creaminess. It would be the perfect accompaniment to the smoky ham.  I never miss an opportunity to pair smoky food with cheese, or any type of food for that matter.

I attended a cooking demonstration a few weeks back where we had a hot ham and cheese sandwich and I’ve been dreaming of it ever since and now was my time to create my own.

In class we had the sandwich on focaccia bread so that is where my recipe starts.

I purchased a 12-inch long piece of focaccia bread, that I cut I cut the bottom third off (I didn’t want the bread to be overwhelming thin taking away from the rest of ingredients on the sandwich)  I then cut the loaf into thirds and then each third into halves.  Here’s a visual.

 Once I had my bread all cut, I decided to make a dijon mustard and mayonnaise spread.  I took stone ground dijon mustard, a little mayonnaise and garlic and onion powder and mixed it all together.  I preheated my own to 350 degrees and lined a baking sheet with parchment paper.  I flipped over the bread and slathered on the mustard mayo combo on the side of the bread without the seasonings.  After I did this I layered on a piece of Swiss cheese, 3 slices of ham (which I had the deli attendant cut into sandwich slices) and then topped the ham with Butterkase cheese.

I popped the entire tray into the oven for 8 minutes and heavenly smoky aromas filled my kitchen.  I was salivating waiting for these sandwiches to come out of the oven.

The herbacious bread and flavorful dijon spread paired perfectly with the Boar’s Head SmokeMaster^™ Beechwood Black Forest Ham and ooey, gooey, melty cheeses. This was the perfect sandwich in which I can see myself pairing with a bowl of soup, wrapping up and taking to games this fall and setting out on my tailgate party table.

These open-faced hot ham and cheese sandwiches were delicious, cheesy, smoky and filling.

Also, they couldn’t have been easier to make and with very minimal ingredients, which also makes them perfect for a quick weeknight dinner.  Both of my kids loved them which is always a win for mama!

What types of dishes do you like to serve up when the weather turns chilly?

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Open Faced Hot Ham and Cheese Sandwiches

Prep 5 mins

Cook 8 mins

Total 13 mins

Author Strawberry Blondie Kitchen

Smoky, melty and cheesy are what these Open Faced Hot Ham and Cheese Sandwiches are made of. They're perfect for dinner, a tailgate or cozy fall meal to gather round the table with family.

Ingredients

• 1- 12 inch load foccacia bread
• 1 pound Boar's Head SmokeMaster™ Beechwood Black Forest Ham
• 6 slices Swiss cheese
• 8 ounces Boar's Head Butterkase Cheese, cut into 6 slices. (I cut mine into 8 and saved the other 2 slices for snacking)
• For the Stone Ground Dijonnaise
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 4 tablespoons stone ground dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
3. Cut 1/3 of the bottom of the foccacia bread off and save for another use
4. Cut bread into 3 equal parts and then cut each part into halves so you have 6 equal pieces
5. Spread 1 tablespoon of dijonnaise on each slice of bread. (recipe follows)
6. Top each piece of bread with 1 slice of swiss cheese, 3 slices of ham and 1 piece of ButterKase Cheese
7. Place on parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes.
8. Serve with chips, soup or cut each piece into quarters for an appetizer
9. For the Stone Ground Dijonnaise
10. Mix all ingredients thoroughly in a small bowl.

Courses Sandwich

Cuisine Dinner

 Look at all of those flavors in one big bite.  So good and so perfect for fall chilly weather!

What are some of your favorite smoked recipes?  do you always pair cheese with smoky foods or BBQ sauce?  Sound off in the comments and let me know your smokehouse rules and what recipe you’d try with this smoked black forest ham.