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Deluxe Monte Cristo Sandwich

Source of Recipe

From "Southern Fried" by James Villas


Recipe Introduction

"I'm not at all sure that the sumptuous Monte Cristo sandwich has origins in the South, but rest assured that only Southerners insist on dressing the interior of the sandwich with plenty of beloved mayonnaise before battering it and frying it in butter. Also, remember that a true Southern Monte Cristo is fried only till the cheese begins to melt and never till it is oozing vulgarly out the sides of the sandwich."

List of Ingredients

Mayonnaise
2 slices white loaf bread
2 slices Swiss cheese
2 thin slices cooked chicken or turkey breast
2 thin slices baked ham
¼ cup milk
1 large egg
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons butter


Recipe

Spread mayonnaise generously on one side of each slice of bread and lay a slice of cheese on the dressed side of one bread slice. Top with the chicken and ham slices, add the other cheese slice, and top with the other bread slice, mayonnaise side down. Press the sandwich down lightly.

In a shallow dish, whisk together the milk, egg, and salt and pepper, dip the sandwich in the wash, coating the edges as well as the sides, and place on a plate, reserving any wash for another sandwich.

In a small, heavy skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the butter over moderately low heat, add the sandwich, and fry till lightly browned on one side, about 3 minutes. Lift the sandwich with a spatula, add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter to the skillet, and fry the sandwich on the other side till browned and the cheese just begins to melt, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve warm.

Makes 1 sandwich