Barefoot Contessa Ultimate Grilled Cheese

After SOMEONE promised to cook us dinner and then bailed because he's extremely important at his office and had to ruin some bankers' lives last night, K and I decided to put together the grilled cheese from Ina Garten's "How Easy Is That?" book. Spoiler alert: not that easy, but still delicious.

Also: we used "buffalo" cheddar which had a little bit of a kick to it--it was good.  I think you could get the same effect by getting soft cheddar and then just dashing some tabasco on top of the cheese.   

Ingredients

12 slices thick-cut bacon, such as Nodine’s applewood smoked
1 cup good mayonnaise
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 white pullman loaf or sourdough bread, sliced 1/2 inch thick (12 slices)
6 tbsp salted butter, at room temperature
6 oz aged Gruyere or Comte cheese
6 oz extra-sharp Cheddar, such as Cabot or Shelburne Farms

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Arrange the bacon on a baking rack set over a sheet pan in a single layer and roast for 20 to 30 minutes, until nicely browned. Drain on a plate lined with paper towels and cut in 1-inch pieces.

Meanwhile, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, Parmesan, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Lay 12 slices of bread on a board and spread each one lightly with butter. Flip the slices and spread each one generously with the mayonnaise mixture. Don’t neglect the corners!

Notice the toasty but not burnt bread and the gooey
 melty cheese inside? The key to that is low heat and patience.

Grate the cheeses in a food processor fitted with the largest grating disk and combine. Distribute the bacon evenly on half the slices of bread. Pile 1/3 cup grated cheese evenly on top of the bacon and top with the remaining bread slices, sauce side down.
Heat an electric panini press. When the press is hot, cook the sandwiches for 3 to 5 minutes in batches until the bread is toasted and the cheese is melted. Allow to cool for 2 minutes. Cut in half and serve warm.

Notes: There was a lot of the mayo mixture left over from last night that we have no idea what else to use it for. I bet K even threw it away. This sandwich was pretty heavy (surprising when the ingredients are butter, mayo, bread, and bacon) and to cut some of that next time I would add apple slices or a tomato and spinach.