There's a time and a place for a fancy grilled cheese, but more often than not I prefer a diner-style sandwich made with American cheese and squishy white bread. Maybe it's nostalgia, maybe it's the occasional thrill of eating a piece of sh*tty "cheese product" — either way, this type of grilled cheese is delicious, and I'm not apologizing for my preference. (Side note: I challenge you to find a better hangover cure.)
These roll-ups take the diner-style sandwich to the next, sort-of-ridiculous level. Yes, they're meant to be paired with tomato soup, in theory yielding a reasonable lunch, but really, the soup is more of a condiment than the main event, because sometimes a bit of indulgence is called for.
If the melty cheese oozing out of the buttery-browned bread isn't making your mouth water uncontrollably, well, I just give up.
Notes
Be sure to use very fresh (at most day-old) sandwich bread; older, staler bread is less moist and flexible and more apt to crack or tear when rolled.
Ingredients
4 slices white sandwich bread
4 slices American cheese
1 tablespoon salted butter,
very soft Tomato soup, for serving
Directions
Cut off the crusts of the sandwich bread.
Flatten the bread using a rolling pin. (This compresses the bread and gives it a slightly tacky texture, making it easier to roll up and seal closed.)
Top each piece of flattened bread with a slice of cheese.
Tightly roll each piece of bread into a cigar-like shape, ending seam-side down; press down gently to seal. Use a pastry brush or butter knife to generously butter the outside of each roll-up.
Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat until hot, about 5 minutes.
Carefully add the roll-ups to the pan seam-side down, and cook on each of the 4 sides for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until deeply browned.
If the roll-ups start to unroll and lose their shape, use the tongs to gently press all of the roll-ups together.
Serve with tomato soup for dipping.
Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Nicole Perry
