Several weeks ago when we rolled out the grill for the first time of the season, there was much joy. What to grill first? Ribs? Burgers? Pizza? So many choices.

This is the sandwich that triumphed: A marriage of a summer BLT and an actually grilled-grilled-cheese sandwich. The buttery crunch of the bread, the juicy tomatoes, the melty cheese, the crisp bacon and lettuce – these two sandwiches were meant to find each other and become one.

You can use iceberg lettuce if you want more of a crunch, and you can experiment with various types of cheese and bacon or pancetta. User your imagination, and this recipe will make this the summer of grilled cheese.

The Ultimate Grilled
Cheese Sandwich
Start to finish: 20 minutes
Servings: 4
8 slices sourdough bread
4 teaspoons unsalted butter,
softened
1 / cups shredded sharp
cheddar cheese (or choose
your favorite cheese)
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
8 strips cooked bacon or
pancetta
8 large pieces romaine
lettuce or iceberg for more
crunch
3 plum tomatoes, sliced
Kosher or coarse salt and
freshly ground pepper to taste
Preheat the grill to medium
low .Butter one side of each of
the pieces of bread. Evenly
divide the cheese between 4
slices of the bread, on the unbuttered sides. Place all of the
bread, buttered side down, on

the grill and cover the grill. Grill
the bread until the bottom is
lightly marked with grill marks
and the cheese is melted. You
may need to remove the plain
pieces of bread first, and move
the cheese covered pieces to the

top grill rack and cover the grill
for a couple of extra minutes,
so that the cheese melts but the
bottoms of the bread slices don’t
burn.
Spread the mayonnaise evenly
over the unbuttered sides of the 4

pieces of plain toast. On the melted cheese slices, layer the bacon,
lettuce and tomatoes, and season
with salt and pepper. Place the
mayonnaise spread slices mayoside down on the sandwiches,
slice, and eat warm.