Chili Crisp Grilled Cheese Madame
I’ve got two words for you. Grilled cheese. This version brings a touch of heat with chili crisp. What’s chili crisp? It’s a Sichuan chili oil condiment that’s made by infusing oil with dried chili peppers and crunchy bits like garlic, shallots, and ginger. It’s salty, spicy and savory and oh-so delicious on just about anything. For this grilled cheese, I’ve added it into the mix along with the ‘Madame’ which is a fancy way (like a Croque Madame, s’il vous plait) of saying fried egg. But this fried egg is fried on a bed of cheese that becomes crispy and salty and delicious while the yolk remains jammy and delicious.
Serves 1
INGREDIENTS
2 slices really good country bread
1 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
1 ½ cups grated cheddar (or a mix of cheddar and American), divided
1 tbsp chili crisp (to taste), plus more for serving
1 large egg
2 tbsp mayonnaise (kewpie mayo, if available)
Flaky sea salt, for finishing
METHOD
Heat a large non-stick pan or cast iron over medium heat. Add half the butter. Spread mayonnaise on both bread slices, one side only. Place one slice of bread in skillet on one side (leaving the other side free for your egg), mayonnaise side down and top with 1 cup cheddar and drizzle chili crisp on top (to taste). Top with second slice of bread, mayonnaise side up.
When bottom is golden brown— approximately 3-4 minutes, add the rest of the butter and carefully flip sandwich and gently press down so cheese adheres. On the other side of the pan, sprinkle a flat single layer of remaining cheese and crack your egg on top. Cook sandwich till golden brown and cook egg until cooked thru (but still jammy) and cheese is crisp and golden brown. Remove sandwich from pan directly to plate, add crispy egg on top, finish with sea salt, drizzle with extra chili crisp and eat immediately.
The below contains affiliate links.
FLY BY JING Chili Crisp
Kewpie Mayonnaise
SCANPAN TechnIQ Nonstick Fry Pan