Sheila's Derby Day Hot Brown

Total Time: 30 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 8 slices smoked bacon
• fresh coarse ground black pepper
• light brown sugar
• cayenne pepper
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 8 ounces mushrooms, chopped
• 8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)
• 6 tablespoons flour
• 4 cups milk
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 8 slices hearty bread (i used pepperidge farm farmhouse soft hearty )
• 1 lb sliced deli turkey
• 1 large beefsteak tomato

Recipe

• 1 prepare bacon: preheat oven to 400 degrees. line jelly-roll pan with parchment paper. lay out slices of bacon (do not overlap). sprinkle with black pepper, brown sugar and cayenne (as your taste dictates - i only used a touch of cayenne for a hint of heat). bake for 10-12 minutes until nice and crispy. remove from pan and drain on paper towel-lined plate. set aside.
• 2 meanwhile, while bacon is cooking, make cheese sauce. melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat and add onion and mushrooms. saute until onions are translucent and mushrooms are soft. stir in flour, 1 t. at a time, and cook for about 1 minute. season with salt and pepper. slowly stir in milk (about 1 cup at a time) until it is fully incorporated and flour is well-blended. cook, stirring frequently, until mixture has thickened. add cheeses, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring to blend well. remove from heat and set aside.
• 3 to assemble sandwiches, preheat broiler. toast bread slices to a medium-golden color and lay out on shallow-rimmed baking pans. (you will probably need 2 to fit all the bread slices.) divide sliced turkey breast evenly among the bread slices, folding to fit on the bread. ladle reserved cheese sauce over turkey and toast. (i used a ladleful for each sandwich.) slice tomato in 8 slices and place on top of sandwiches. slice bacon slices in half and set aside. place each baking pan under broiler, one at a time, and broil until browned and bubbly. after removing from broiler, put bacon slices on top (arranged in an x) and serve.
• 4 note: any leftovers reheat very well. you can just run them under the broiler again or bake in a 400-degree oven for a few minutes.