Kentucky Hot Brown

I LOVE 💗this sandwich.  I've even had it in Kentucky but not where it originated at the Brown hotel in 1926.  I also had it at one of Chef Bobby Flay's restaurants in NYC, which is now closed.  It was soooo good.  Comfort hangover food is how I'd describe it.  I don't have a picture of Bobby Flay's but I do have two.  The first one below is at a winery in Ohio.  We sat overlooking the Ohio river which is in Kentucky.

The second one below is from a restaurant we dined at in a town called Augusta, in Kentucky.  The Clooney's as in George are from there.  Others in his family still reside there and I think George owns a place there as well.

So, as you can see - it's not exactly "diet" food... I paid homage to the original recipe by the Brown hotel by using the same ingredients, though I tried to make mine slightly healthier.

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 & 1/2 cups 2% milk
• 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, plus extra for garnish
• Pinch of fresh grated nutmeg, I used a microplane
• Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
• 6 slices roasted turkey breast, nitrate and preservative free
• 2 slices of Texas toast, crusts trimmed (I couldn't find it today so I went to a bakery and bought a whole loaf of multigrain and sliced it an inch thick myself.  It was so fresh, it was hard to cut the crusts off, even with a bread knife.  Very, very yummy though)

• 4 slices of bacon, nitrate and preservative free
• 2 vine-ripened tomatoes, sliced crosswise and seasoned with S&P
• Paprika sprinkle, to garnish
• Italian parsley, chopped, for garnish

In a saucepan, melt butter and whisk in flour until combined to form a roux. Continue to cook roux for a couple of minutes over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Whisk milk into the roux and cook over medium heat until the cream begins to simmer. Remove sauce from heat and slowly whisk in  cheese until the sauce is smooth. Add nutmeg and S&P to taste.  It is now a "Mornay Sauce" (I know, it's usually Gruyere cheese, but I stuck with the original recipe).

For each serving, place one slice of toast on a baking sheet and toast under the broiler with the tomato slices along side. Toast both sides.

Time to assemble.  I used cooking spray on my dish.

Spread a bit of sauce on the toast.

Put turkey slices on toast to cover.  Season with S&P.

Pour more sauce over the turkey, completely covering it. Put tomatoes on top.  Sprinkle with additional cheese. Place under a broiler until cheese begins to brown and bubble. Remove and cross two pieces of crispy bacon on top of each toast.  Plate.  Sprinkle with paprika and parsley and serve immediately.

My paprika sprinkle got away from me a little...OK, a lot...yikes.  Other than that over dousing, this was delicious.  The only way it could have been better is if someone cooked it for me!  The Mornay sauce was fantastic.  I think this dish will happen again when we do turkey and have leftovers at Thanksgiving.  For sure.  A big hit!