Pan-fried toasted sandwiches with smoked gouda, apple and caramelised onions
Crispy pan-fried toasted sandwiches with melted smoked gouda, sweet caramelised onions, thin apple slices and ham. An easy and delicious lunch or dinner, ready in just 20 minutes.
Pan-fried toasted sandwiches are comfort food at its best. Here you get crispy sourdough bread, creamy melted smoked gouda, sweet onions with apple juice, fresh herbs and a fresh bite from thin apple slices. The combination of salty, sweet, smoky and crispy makes these toasted sandwiches extra tasty.
This recipe is perfect when you want to make a quick lunch, an easy dinner or an extra-delicious weekend toasted sandwich. It requires few ingredients but tastes like something that has taken far more time in the kitchen.
A good 30 cm frying pan is ideal for this recipe, as it provides plenty of room to fry the sandwiches until crisp and golden. A chef's knife makes it easy to slice the onions and apple thinly, while a walnut chopping board provides a stable, spacious work surface for preparation.
Pan-fried toasted sandwich recipe
Serves: 4
Preparation: 5 min.
Cooking: 15 min.
Total time: 20 min.
Ingredients for pan-fried toasted sandwiches
- 50 g salted butter
- 2 onions, thinly sliced
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 dl apple juice
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh sage
- 4 slices of ham
- 8 slices of sourdough bread
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 300 g smoked gouda, sliced or grated
- 1 apple, thinly sliced
Method
- Melt 2 tbsp butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat.
- Add the onions and fry for about 3 minutes until they begin to soften.
- Add half the apple juice and season with salt and black pepper.
- Cook the onions for about 5 minutes until the apple juice has evaporated.
- Add the remaining apple juice and cook for another 5 minutes, or until the onions are golden and caramelised.
- Add the thyme and sage and cook for about 1 minute. Remove the onions from the pan and set aside.
- Brush the outside of each slice of sourdough bread with olive oil.
- Divide the smoked gouda, caramelised onions, apple slices and ham between half the bread slices.
- Place the remaining bread slices on top with the olive-oil side facing outwards.
- Place the sandwiches in the pan, 1-2 at a time, and fry for about 3-5 minutes on each side until the bread is golden and crisp and the cheese has melted.
- Cut the sandwiches in half and serve hot straight away.
Tips for the best pan-fried toasted sandwiches
Fry the sandwiches over a medium heat so the bread becomes crisp and golden without burning before the cheese has time to melt.
Use grated gouda if you want the cheese to melt extra quickly and evenly.
For a more intense flavour, you can use prosciutto, serrano ham or a good dry-cured ham instead of regular ham.
Why do apple, gouda and caramelised onions work so well together?
Smoked gouda gives the sandwich a rich, creamy and lightly smoky flavour. The caramelised onions add sweetness and depth, while the apple adds freshness and a slightly tart contrast. Combined with crispy sourdough bread and salty ham, you get a toasted sandwich with richness, sweetness, acidity and crunch.
It is precisely the balance between the different flavours and textures that makes this pan-fried toasted sandwich more interesting than a classic cheese toastie.
Which bread is best for pan-fried toasted sandwiches?
Sourdough bread is a very good choice because it has a firm texture, a slightly tangy flavour and becomes nicely crisp in the pan. Ideally, the bread should be cut into fairly even slices so the sandwich is easy to assemble and fry.
You can also use country-style bread, wholemeal bread or white bread with a good crust. Avoid very soft sandwich bread if you want a crispier, more rustic toasted sandwich.
Serving
Serve the pan-fried toasted sandwiches hot straight from the pan while the bread is still crisp and the cheese is melted. They work well on their own as a quick lunch, but can also be served with a simple green salad, pickled red onions or a few extra apple slices on the side.
For a more filling meal, you can serve the sandwiches with oven-baked potatoes, a fresh cabbage salad or a creamy dip.
Can pan-fried toasted sandwiches be made ahead?
The sandwiches taste best freshly fried. However, you can easily prepare the onions ahead and keep them refrigerated until needed. Then simply assemble and fry the sandwiches when you are ready to serve.
If you have leftovers, you can gently reheat them in the pan over a low to medium heat. This makes the bread crispier than reheating the sandwich in the microwave.
