Not too long ago, while I was devouring a batch of the ever so addictive jalapeno popper dip, I was thinking about other ways to enjoy that amazing flavour combination and the idea that stuck was the one for a jalapeno popper grilled cheese sandwich. As soon as I had that thought I knew that I would have to try it and this was the perfect time!

The basic idea was to incorporate the flavours and textures of jalapeno poppers in a grilled cheese sandwich and the first step was the jalapeno peppers themselves. I really could not see biting into a perfectly grilled sandwich with all of the melted gooey cheese and hitting hard raw jalapeno peppers and although pickled jalapeno peppers would likely have done the trick I decided to take the extra step and I roasted the peppers first. In addition to softening the peppers up, roasting them would add a nice hint of smokiness. Next up was the jalapeno poppers filling and I spread some cream cheese on one slice of bread and then I stuffed in as much jack and cheddar cheese as I could. One of the things that I like about jalapeno poppers is the crunchy bread crumb coating and although the buttered bread would get nice and crispy when fried, I was looking for something a little more. My first thought was to just add some panko bread crumbs to the inside of the sandwich but I did not think that they would still be very crispy by the time that I got to eating the sandwich. This one stumped my for a while but then inspiration struck, I could use crumbled tortilla chips!

This jalapeño popper grilled cheese sandwich turned out even better than expected! The buttery bread was perfectly crispy and it held in a torrent of melted cheese, the spicy jalapeño peppers and the crunchy tortilla chips! The cream cheese in these sandwiches was definitely a winner making the sandwich one of the creamiest and cheesiest grilled cheese sandwiches ever! All of that extra gooey melted cheese helped to temper the spicy heat of the jalapeño peppers. I served the jalapeno popper grilled cheese sandwich along with the remaining tortillas chips and some cool and creamy guacamole.

Kevin Lynch

Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese Sandwich

A jalapeno popper inspired grilled cheese sandwich with roasted jalapeno peppers, cream cheese, jack & cheddar cheese and crumbled tortilla chips for a bit of crunch.

Servings: makes 1 sandwich

Prep Time: 34 minutes
Cook Time: 6 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

    2 jalapeno peppers, cut in half lengthwise and seeded
    2 slices sour dough bread
    1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
    2 tablespoons cream cheese, room temperature
    1/2 cup jack and cheddar cheese, shredded
    1 tablespoon tortilla chips, crumbled

Directions

    1. Place the peppers on a baking sheet with the cut side facing down.
    2. Place the baking sheet on the top shelf in the oven and broil until the outer layer of the skin has blackened, about 8-14 minutes.
    3. Place the peppers in a zip-lock bag or other sealable container, seal and let them cool until you can handle them, about 20 minutes.
    4. Remove the skins from the peppers. The skins should easily "pinch" off.
    5. Butter the outside of each slice of bread and spread the cream cheese on the inside. Sprinkle half of the cheese on the cream cheese of one slice of bread, top with the jalapenos, crumbled tortilla chips, the remaining cheese and finally the other slice of bread.
    6. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat.
    7. Add the sandwich and grill until golden brown and the cheese has melted, about 2-4 minutes per side.

Tip: Bacon makes a great addition to this sandwich!