Ploughman's Sandwich

A great deal of learning to cook, is trial and error.  I think this is where a lot of people get frustrated with cooking.  There is little that can surpass the disappointment of slowly carmelizing 5 onions over and hour and a half, spending 30 minutes more developing this into a vegetarian French onion soup, to then be left with a wine colored soup that tastes exactly the way it looks, like wine.  Yes, I'm speaking from experience.  Yes, this very thing happened to me last week.  But, we ate soup.  And I now know that some recipes take some time and forethought to make them into tasty vegetarian suppers.  This experience, and the many more coming in the future, will make me a better cook.

Last week, I had several unsuccessful meals.  I attribute this to the lack of groceries in our house and the fact that I didn't use a single recipe.  This week, I have a stocked pantry and I have started baby stepping back into success with a couple of easy recipes.  To rectify the waste of caramelized onions with Barney Soup, I've made my version of the Ploughman's Sandwich.  I feel in love with these when D. and I were in London a couple years back.  I've made my version grilled sandwich, but traditionally this simple sandwich is served cold.

Ploughman's Sandwich

2 onions, cooked down into a sweet onion marmalade
bold, sharp Cheddar, room temperature
stone ground mustard
fresh baked sourdough, sliced
3 T butter

Finely slice onions and slowly caramelize over medium with 2 tablespoons of butter.  This should take 45 minutes to an hour, depending on how much liquid your onions produce.  While these are cooking, bring your cheese to room temperature.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Heat a large fry pan, with lid, over medium heat.  {I just wiped out the one I was using for the onions.} Use remaining butter for one side of each slice of bread. {Concentrate on the crust, this will make a huge difference once cooked.} Starting butter-side down assemble your sandwich: stone ground mustard, a healthy amount of sliced Cheddar, a few tablespoons of onion marmalade, topped with another slice of bread butter-side up.  Place your sandwich in the the fry pan and cover with lid.  {I always start with the cheese closest to the pan.  This will help make sure your cheese melts and your sandwich is nice a gooey inside.}  After a few minutes, turn sandwich and brown on the other side.  Cover with lid.  Once browned, let sit for a minute or 2 before slicing to let your cheese set up just a bit.

Serve hot with chips, crisps, salad, or your favorite sandwich accompaniment.