I truly do think the leftovers are the best part of any Holiday dinner, and here’s one of my favorite ways to use them. While traditionally made with turkey, Kentucky Hot Brown Sandwiches are great made with either turkey or ham and bacon. More often, I’m seeing them with all three.
Kentucky Hot Brown Sandwiches, ready to top with cheese sauce and go under the broiler.
Just in case you’re not familiar, Kentucky Hot Brown Sandwiches wereKentucky Hot Brown Sandwiches the brainchild of Louis Schmidt of the Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky. Traditionally, it’s an open-faced turkey sandwich covered with Mornay Sauce and broiled.
I’ve always been served the sandwich with a slice of tomato between the turkey and the bacon, but I take liberties. I make my Hot Browns with either leftover ham or leftover turkey. Lunch meat just doesn’t do it justice but a good deli meat would work. But you do you!
I have made this sandwich so many times, my pictures aren’t all of one batch, but they do lead you through the process. You can see some are made with ham, some with turkey, some with tomato. And then the cheese sauce (the mornay sauce) is added. I like to top with MORE cheese. I used Gruyere on the asparagus version and a mild cheddar (better meltability than sharp) on the tomato version.
There is something about broiling a sandwich like this that makes it feel more like a meal and less like a snack. Just add a small salad, pickles, or a crunchy slaw, and you’ve got a budget meal on your hands.
And speaking of budgets, I usually make my Kentucky Hot Brown Sandwiches with Leftover Turkey or Leftover Ham. Follow the links for more recipes using either.
Kentucky Hot Brown Sandwich
Kentucky Hot Browns
More than a sandwich! It’s a meal.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 sandwiches 1x
- Category: sandwiches
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 6 slices bread (toasted or not)
- 12 ounces sliced ham or turkey, thinly sliced
- Vegetable layer: Use slices of tomato 1/4 inch thick, or cooked asparagus (this is a great place to use any left over from, say, an Easter when you’ve served Asparagus or tomatoes off a crudite platter)
- 9 12 slices bacon, cooked – you could omit this if you’re working with ham, but it’s wonderful with the turkey
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 1/2 cup low-fat milk
- 4 ounces Cheddar cheese, grated, save a few sprinkles for the top
- 1 tablespoon Sherry
- 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika (optional)
Instructions
Make cheese sauce: Melt butter, add flour, whisking, and cook about one minute until the flour begins to look drier but isn’t yet starting to brown. Add milk bit by bit, stirring until smooth each time, and cook, stirring till quite thick, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in cheese, Sherry, salt, and onion powder.
Assemble sandwiches: Preheat broiler. Arrange bread on a large cookie sheet. Top each with two ounces of turkey or ham, two slices tomato or asparagus, a sprinkle of pepper, bacon, then cheese sauce. Add grated cheese on topo if you wish. Sprinkle paprika over the top, if desired.
I often use three pieces of bacon for every two sandwiches – I don’t like it “hanging” over when it is broiled, so I when I think about it, I remove the extra and piece together on one of the sandwiches.
Broil till lightly browned and serve piping hot. Serve with crunchy slaw, pickles or a salad.
