Swap Bread With Sweet Potato Slices For A Heartier Grilled Cheese

The grilled cheese sandwich is the ultimate comfort food if there ever was one. Salty, buttery, and unapologetically cheesy, the decades-popular American diner favorite featuring delectably melty cheese between toasty, buttery bread is delicious whether on its own or served beside a warm bowl of tomato soup. But it turns out, there's no culinary rule saying you have to make it on bread. In fact, rather than using the traditional white, rye, or sourdough, why not grill your cheese on sweet potato?

That's right, sweet potato, the high-fiber root vegetable which — as it turns out — is not only nutty, earthy, and sweet, but surprisingly versatile, makes a uniquely savory base for a low-carb, high-flavor grilled cheese. And swapping in some thick, hearty sweet potato slices for your bread delivers a deliciously unique sandwich with a delightfully sweet flavor and a healthier, gluten-free option so delicious you may never look back.

Making a delicious sweet potato grilled cheese begins with choosing the right sweet potatoes — you'll want to choose large, evenly-shaped potatoes with firm, smooth skin to make slicing easier. Once you've chosen your perfect potatoes, you'll want to cut them into ¼-inch thick slices (you can cut rounds or planks, lengthwise slices). It's important to use slices thick enough to maintain their shape, but not so thick they don't cook fast enough in the skillet. You may also want to keep the skin, which is high in fiber and vitamins A and C.

Then, making your sandwich is relatively simple — you'll want to heat some butter and cook your slices over low to medium heat for about eight to 10 minutes. But be sure that you flip your slices ever so often while cooking. When it's time to add your cheese, turn your heat to low and top each slice with a piece of your choice — whether it's a conservative cheddar or Monterey jack, or an unexpected gruyere. Feel free to sprinkle on some green onions, garlic powder, or even thyme — which pairs beautifully with both cheese and sweet potato — to accentuate the sandwich's savory flavor profile, before putting two cheese-topped slices together to create your sandwich. Once your cheese is fully melted, you're ready to remove it from the heat. Alternatively, you can cut ½-inch sweet potato slices and bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes before adding cheese and putting your slices together.

There are myriad ways to elevate your sweet potato grilled cheese with complementary flavors. If you'd like to add a hint of green, feel free to top your cheese slices with some kale and caramelized onions for a fall or winter take on your sandwich that will be perfect with a cup of soup. For a brighter flavor profile, slice a few pears thinly (red pears are recommended due to their subtle fruity flavor, which will accentuate the flavor of the sweet potato), and top your cheese slices with them before putting your sandwiches together — the pears will add a crisp, fruity essence to the sandwich and create a slam dunk flavor pairing, especially if your sandwich features a brie or a milder cheddar.

If you'd like to take your grilled cheese in an international-esque direction instead, spread some tomato bruschetta across your sweet potato and feature mozzarella and provolone. This will give your sandwich an Italian-inspired sandwich that, due to the tomatoes in the bruschetta, will lend a fresh, summery taste to your dish exploding with delectable flavor.