There's the grilled cheese you made when you were eleven years old...and then there's this guy. To get that evenly golden brown, supremely crisp bread and a molten cheesy interior, you'll start your sandwich (slathered in mayo, obviously) in a cold nonstick skillet, then heat it up slowly and gently. And that whole “added-value” thing? Oh, it’s just a little nothing of a bonus add-in we dreamt up featuring charred scallions and pickled jalapeños. It’s the perfect spicy, bright antidote to all that rich, oozy cheese.
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What you’ll need
Measuring Cups
$28 At Bon Appétit Market
Measuring Spoons
$10 At Bon Appétit Market
Large Skillet
$74 At Amazon
Chef's Knife
$34.53 At Amazon
Cutting Board
$10 At IKEA
Tongs
$21 At Amazon
Small Bowl
$15 At Amazon
Vegetable Peeler
$12 $10 At Amazon
Rubber Spatula
$13 At Amazon
Ingredients
Makes 2
1
12
⅓
4
4
4
4
¼
2
Preparation
Step 1
Heat 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high until shimmering. While oil heats up, trim green parts of 12 scallions so they fit in skillet. Add scallions to skillet (hairy bits still attached; we’ll discard them later on) and toss to coat in oil. Season with salt and pepper and cook, undisturbed, until deeply charred, about 4 minutes. Toss and continue to cook, tossing occasionally, until softened and charred all over, 2–3 minutes longer. Transfer scallions to a cutting board and let cool; reserve skillet.
Step 2
Trim and discard hairy ends of scallions, then chop crosswise into ½" pieces. Transfer to a small bowl. Finely chop ⅓ cup pickled jalapeños. Transfer to bowl with scallions and toss to combine.
Step 3
Arrange 4 ½"-thick slices country-style bread on cutting board. Spread 1 Tbsp. mayonnaise on one side of each slice.
Step 4
Using a vegetable peeler, shave 4 oz. cheddar cheese into long ribbons.
Step 5
Place 2 bread slices (mayonnaise side down) in skillet. Arrange shaved cheddar over, overlapping as necessary so they in the confines of the bread. Top cheese with scallion-jalapeño relish.
Step 6
Arrange 2 slices of American cheese over relish. Close sandwiches with remaining 2 slices of bread (mayonnaise side up).
Step 7
Heat skillet over medium and cook sandwiches, undisturbed, until deeply golden brown and crisp underneath, 5–7 minutes. (We start the sandwiches in an unheated skillet so they can gently and evenly brown, and don’t end up burning. This is how you get that perfect exterior crunch.) Using a spatula, carefully turn sandwiches. If anything goes awry, just push your sandwich back together and continue. Season cooked side with salt and reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook until evenly golden brown and cheese is melted, 4–5 minutes longer. This time, we’re cooking them at a lower heat because the skillet is already hot from the previous side, the opposite process of the previous step. Transfer both sandwiches to a cutting board. Season other side of sandwich with salt.
Step 8
Mix ¼ cup whole-grain mustard and 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard (if using) in a small bowl.
Step 9
Cut grilled cheese sandwiches in half. Serve with mustard alongside for dipping.
Leave a Review
Reviews (44)
Back to TopSo incredibly flavourful. Ate it with Shaved Cauliflower Salad for an absolutely perfect dinner. Grilling the scallions made them so sweet and mixed with the pickled jalapeños made a perfect relish for the cheese. Thanks so much
Alisa A.
Vancouver Island, BC, canada
1/28/2022
Interesting variation, but means didn't really justify the end. That is, too much faffing about. I love a grilled cheese sammy but can't beat butter on the outside. Like someone below, didn't like the scallions, too soft, much prefer chopped onion. Sorry to dam with faint praise!
anniem
New Zealand
1/26/2022
lipstick on a pig.
Anonymous
12/1/2020
Superb! By mistake, I only printed out up to paragraph "5" so I spread both mustards over the relish and continued, it was still the best-grilled cheese ever! Thanks, BA!
Marilyn
Pinehurst, NC
11/29/2020
I’ve given the mayo thing a try but I find it just makes the sandwich oily. I much prefer butter.
Carswell
Canada
11/29/2020
I love grilled cheese and being on a low salt diet I pick and choose where the salt comes from. I like unsalted butter but I don't butter the bread. I get the bread and cheese stacked, the pan on and warmed up, then 1/4" pat of butter in the pan, lay sandwich on top and take a half a pat in a fork and cruise along the edge of the crust in the pan. Put a lid to heat it even melter. When perfectly brown, lift, put another par of butter in pan and flip the sandwich on top, swing it around with fingers and put on the lid again for a little bit. When perfect....remove and eat! I like Black Diamond Canadian Cheddar. Occasionally tuna fish salad as a tuna melt. Grilled sandwiches rule! Thanks Molly for the excellent tutorial!!
Tom Podnar
Cleveland, Ohio
11/29/2020
Debbie Lane makes the best grilled cheese in the world.
Fotini
New York
11/29/2020
Was good but that's actually called a Melt, not a grilled cheese sandwich
Inferno06
USA
9/17/2020
This grilled cheese was okay. The mustard dipping sauce added a lot to it. Even though I charred my scallions, they were slimy. If I were to do this again perhaps I’d cut them into smaller pieces before cooking. I also prefer butter on the outside of my bread to mayonnaise.
Anonymous
Florida
5/16/2020
I wouldn’t say this is the greatest variation of a grilled cheese and mayo instead of butter isn’t a game changer, but the sandwich was good nonetheless
Anonymous
Tennessee
4/24/2020
Regular grilled cheese is now dead to me. Thanks molly
TX
1/14/2020
Well, this want a total fail lol... I think I had mine on too high. The mayo was genius!! I'd never heard of using it for grilled cheese. I made mine in a cast iron skillet, which also might have made a difference. I had burned uneven crusts :( and my cheese didn't melt. BUT, I haven't given up & I'll definitely try this again. Oh, and I don't really like anything but cheese in my grilled cheese so I didn't have all the extra stuff. (Possibly some ham or turkey would be all I might add. And/or, some green Chile, yum!) Thanks for helping me think outside my box though!!
Anonymous
Albuquerque, NM
1/7/2020
I made this for my 17 year old son today. Kid: Mom, this is AMAZING! will you make grilled cheese like this every time now? ME: Well, sometimes. I don't always have a dozen green onions in the fridge. Kid: When I have kids, THIS is is how I'm going to make their grilled cheese! In short, epic.
Anonymous
Oakland, CA
11/20/2019
This grilled cheese was amazing!! Loved the charred scallion pickled jalapeño relish situation.
TX
10/11/2019
Really great grilled cheese. What is the science behind leaving the hairy bits on scallions?
cordes1
Toronto
9/29/2019