Recipe courtesy of
Widza Gustin
for
Food Network Kitchen
Recipe courtesy of
Widza Gustin
for
Food Network Kitchen
Watch how to make this recipe.
Pull-Apart Chopped Cheese
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- Level: Easy
- Total: 40 min
- Active: 40 min
- Yield: 4 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 4 servings
- Calories
- 1536
- Total Fat
- 63 g
- Saturated Fat
- 25 g
- Carbohydrates
- 146 g
- Dietary Fiber
- 8 g
- Sugar
- 20 g
- Protein
- 98 g
- Cholesterol
- 246 mg
- Sodium
- 1961 mg
The cheesy ground beef, onion, lettuce and tomato sandwich known as a chopped cheese is a signature New York City sandwich and a relative newcomer. Its origins are generally credited to Spanish Harlem in the late 1990s and it’s since spread to bodegas and delis around the city and beyond. The “chop” in chopped cheese comes from crushing and chopping seasoned hamburger patties into small pieces with metal spatulas as they cook on a griddle and combining them with griddled onions. It’s usually made with melty American cheese on a hoagie or hero roll, but we use nutty Muenster cheese for this inspired slider-style version.
- Level: Easy
- Total: 40 min
- Active: 40 min
- Yield: 4 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 4 servings
- Calories
- 1536
- Total Fat
- 63 g
- Saturated Fat
- 25 g
- Carbohydrates
- 146 g
- Dietary Fiber
- 8 g
- Sugar
- 20 g
- Protein
- 98 g
- Cholesterol
- 246 mg
- Sodium
- 1961 mg
Ingredients
Sauce:
Pull-Apart Sandwiches:
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Directions
Special equipment:
a cast-iron griddle pan- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- For the sauce: Combine the mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, sugar, pickle juice and grated onion in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate.
- For the pull-apart sandwiches: Whisk together the paprika, oregano, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, coriander, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper in a small bowl. Set aside
- Split the whole pack of attached dinner rolls in half horizontally using a serrated knife. Brush the cut sides of the slabs of rolls with 1 tablespoon of melted butter. Place in the oven to toast, butter side up, until crusty and starting to brown, 7 to 10 minutes.
- Heat a cast-iron griddle over medium-low heat. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, then add the onions and cook, tossing frequently, until caramelized, about 7 minutes. Transfer the onions to a bowl and set aside. Turn up the heat to medium high. Sear the beef patties until they start to brown and crust, about 2 minutes. Flip and repeat on the other side of the patties.
- Sprinkle the reserved spice mixture over the patties. Crush and chop the patties into small pieces with a metal spatula (use two spatulas if you have them for the real bodega feel). Continue to cook, tossing occasionally, until the meat is browned and thoroughly cooked, about 5 minutes. Mix in the caramelized onions, making sure they are warm throughout. Sprinkle the Muenster cheese over the beef and turn off the heat. Mix until the cheese is fully melted.
- Spread the sauce on the buttered sides of the toasted rolls. Evenly spread the meat and cheese mixture over the bottom half of the rolls.
- Sprinkle the lettuce over the meat, then put one tomato slice on each roll for a total of 12 slices. Top with the other half of the rolls. Serve immediately.
Cook’s Note
If you like you can make the sauce ahead of time and refrigerate it for up to 3 days.
