Hot Brown

Hot brown?? You may be wondering if I am talking about some sexy guy. Nope....its food! It is a Kentucky after Thanksgiving meal. Then why am I posting it today? Because I made turkey for Easter. I know I know....how dare I! But I bought one at Thanksgiving and it was buy one get one. I never used the second one at Christmas and it has sat in my freezer until this occassion. So we had turkey for Thanksgiving. And I suppose it worked out well because Alex didn't get any holiday meals this year. So we kind of had a springtime version of Thanksgiving.

I got this recipe idea from my mother-in-law. Being from Kentucky, she loves and always makes Hot Brown. I can remember eating it at her house on the day after Thanksgiving. And it really is a great way to get rid of leftover turkey in a different way than a sandwich. If you would like to see the history behind it: hot brown.

And I suppose it really is a sandwich, just a glorified one!!

You will need a large baking dish. I start with a loaf of regular, specialty, or freshly baked bread. It's really your call. Lay the slices of bread out on the baking dish. Then you need some slices of turkey. Lay those slices on top of your bread. Then top with 1-3 slices of cooked bacon. I like to cut mine in half and then cook them. They are easier to get onto my slices of bread.

Then you need a bechamel sauce.

3T butter
2T flour
2c milk
2t salt

Melt butter in a saucepan. Add flour and stir. Gradually add the milk and salt. and whisk to incorporate. Once mixed, bring to a gentle simmer while whisking.

Then you need to add whatever cheese you like the best. I added some swiss and mozzarella cheese. Probably 1/2c of each. Once the cheese is melted and the sauce is thick you are ready to pour.

There are two methods here: 1) pour sauce over bread and bake 2) bake bread and then pour sauce over. I prefer #2. I HATE soggy bread. Its completely disgusting! So I take my baking sheet with my assembled sandwich and bake for 5-10 minutes until the bacon, bread, and turkey are hot. Then I place on plates and drizzle sauce over the top. This keeps your toasted bread toasted.

And it is a nice comforting kind of sandwich. So next year when you finish your turkey at Thanksgiving and want to try something different, think about hot brown!!