What is a Kentucky Hot Brown Sandwich? It is an open-faced turkey sandwich topped with a delicate Mornay sauce. It originated in the nearby state of Kentucky so here in Tennessee, we know what they are. My favorite time to make one is around the holidays where we tend to serve turkey, as a way to use up leftovers.
We often serve turkey for Easter and the Kentucky Derby is in the spring so I usually go ahead and make one!!
What goes in a Kentucky Hot Brown Sandwich?
The original Kentucky Hot Brown Sandwich is built on top of thick bread. For the 21 Day Fix version we are going to use a good quality whole grain bread toasted to make it a little more “hardy”. We need it to be “hardy” because we are going to pile it high with quite a few ingredients.
Always build your sandwich onto a metal pan because you are going to put it under the broiler. My small cast iron skillet set is just perfect for these! I add part of my cheese to the bread on this first layer. I like melty cheese to be all the way thru my sandwich.
The next layer is the turkey. My Hubby has a meat smoker so I asked him if he would smoke a turkey breast for me. But I have made this sandwich with turkey deli meat many, many times. Here is some information about how to find a deli-sliced turkey that is approved for the 21 Day Fix HERE. If I am using leftover turkey meat or deli meat I warm it just a little, that way my sandwich will get melty in the middle.
Turkey bacon is the next layer. I cook it till crisp and then I cut it up with scissors. Turkey bacon doesn’t crumble very well so I always use my scissors.
Now it is time for the tomatoes. I slice them fairly thick onto a paper towel and blot as much as the juice off as I can. I don’t want them to be soggy in the middle of all of this goodness.
Mornay sauce for the sandwich
A Mornay sauce is a simple white sauce (béchamel) with grated cheese added. Gruyère, white Cheddar, or even Parmesan cheese are common add-ins. A Mornay sauce that is made with cheddar is used for macaroni and cheese recipes.
Traditional Mornay for a Kentucky Hot Brown Sandwich uses white cheese. I am going to keep with tradition and use white cheddar but you can use any cheese you prefer.
The only ingredients needed are butter, flour, milk, cheese, and seasonings. In the right portions and with clean ingredients it is easily “Fix-able”. It gets spooned over the tomatoes and usually drips down onto the pan in puddles.
Finishing the Kentucky Hot Brown Sandwich
Finally, it all gets topped with the rest of the cheese of your choice. Pile it all on!
Put that big stacked sandwich in a hot oven for about 5 minutes and then under the broiler to “brown” the cheese. The cheese will slide down and cover the whole sandwich in a thin layer and pool with the extra sauce in the bottom of the pan. It is perfect for dipping forkfuls of the layers in.
Kentucky Hot Brown Sandwich {21 Day Fix}
Ingredients
Mornay Cheese Sauce
- 1½ tablespoons butter
- 1½ tablespoons gluten-free flour
- 1 cup almond milk
- ⅓ cup white cheddar cheese, finely grated
- 1 pinch nutmeg, or to taste (optional)
- a few dashes Tabasco sauce, or your favorite hot sauce, to taste
Kentucky Hot Brown Sandwich
- 2 slices whole-grain bread, toasted I chose a bread that counts as 1Y because it is thicker.
- ⅔ cup white cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1½ cup roasted turkey or 6 slices of deli-sliced turkey meat *warm the meat a few seconds in the microwave to take the chill off of it.
- 4 slices turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 6 thick slices tomato drained on paper towels
- 1 cup prepared Mornay sauce
Instructions
Mornay Cheese Sauce
- Melt butter in a saucepan and whisk in the flour. Cook on medium while stirring for 1-2 minutes stirring constantly.
- Slowly whisk in the milk, stirring constantly. Let thicken for about 3 minutes or until the sauce starts to coat a spoon. Then slowly sprinkle in the cheese. Only heat long enough for the cheese to melt gently or the sauce might "break/separate". Add hot sauce and nutmeg if using them.
- Place plastic wrap or wax paper over the surface of the sauce and set to the side till later.
Kentucky Hot Brown Sandwich
- Start by laying each piece of toast on a broiler-safe pan.
- Divide all the ingredients in half. Layer a little cheese on the toast. Then turkey, bacon bits, and sliced tomatoes on each sandwich.
- Spoon half the Mornay sauce over each sandwich, slowly so it runs down thru the layers.
- Layer the last of the shredded cheese on top and bake at 350° for 5 minutes and then put under the broiler for a few minutes till the cheese is all melty. Serve immediately.
21 Day Fix Container Counts for 1 sandwich: 1Y, 1B, 1½R, ½G, 2¾ oil teaspoons
Notes
Sometimes I change the cheese on the top to parmesan.
What do I serve with a Kentucky Hot Brown Sandwich?
A beautiful roasted corn and black bean salad would be perfect! There is a great recipe HERE.
A plate of french fries always goes with a pub-style sandwich. I prep these the day before for the best home-cooked fries I have ever made.
French fry recipe HERE.
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