Tosti Ham Kaas

It's been one of those weekends where you run errands, you run from one side of town to the other, and finally you run ragged. And when you finally plof down on the couch, you realize that it's time for dinner. But you don't feel like peeling potatoes,  you haven't really given the vegetables any thought and you forgot to pull the meat out of the freezer. So what is one to do?! Calling out for pizza is not always an option in the Netherlands and thinking about pulling out of that parking space in front of the house that you circled the block ten times for is out of the question. So what will it be? Yep, tosties!!!

Grilled ham and cheese sandwiches are probably as popular in Holland as in any other country that has bread and cheese as a staple. Tostis (a tosti by itself is usually ham and cheese) or tosties are a standard go-to snack when a sandwich just will not do. They are on the menu in cafés, offered in any broodjeszaak or sandwich shop around town and tend to be a favorite in many households. There are about as many variations as there are people in the country: first comes the selection of the bread (wheat, white or anything inbetween , then the type of cheese (young, mature, old, Leidse, or foreign cheeses like Brie or Camembert), a selection of meat (ham, salami, roast beef....you name it). Everybody in the family has a favorite combination. 

Usually the buck stops here but others go even further. A Tosti Hawaii is, of course, a ham and cheese grilled sandwich with a slice of pineapple, which is my favorite. There is a Tosti Kaas Ui (cheese and caramelized onion), Tosti Kaas Champignon (with, you guessed it, cheese and sautéed mushrooms) and so on and so forth. Slices of tomato or cucumber are also often added to the tosties. (If you are reading this right after Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, remember to set some food aside for a fantastic turkey/stuffing/cranberry sauce tosti!)

So the easiest thing to do is to pull out the tosti-ijzer (a small countertop tosti making machine, much like a panini press or a sandwich maker grill) which just about any Dutch family has. Some kitchens have them permanently located on top of the counter, others will have to dig it out of a cupboard, but most homes do have one. Grab all the breads out of the broodtrommel, the bread box, retrieve several cheeses and meats from the fridge, raid the produce pantry or groentela, the produce drawer in the fridge, and have everybody make their own tosties. Don't have one of those fancy tosti making machines? Not to worry: just like making grilled cheese sandwiches, tosties can also be made in frying pans. Make a big salad, pour everybody a glass of cold milk, and dig into the tosties! 

And after the savory tosties come, naturally, the sweet ones: a tosti with apple and cinnamon, or one with banana and peanut butter or strawberry jam, another using up the pineapple slices from the Tosti Hawaii that someone made earlier......it's a great way of using up those last pieces of cheese, sandwich meat or a lick of leftover jam that needed to go. Quick and easy, and yet such comforting food! 

Tosti Ham Kaas

2 slices bread

2 slices cheese

2 slices ham

Butter

Optional; mustard, mayonnaise, ketchup

Spread butter, mustard, or mayonnaise on the bread slices on one side of each, and arrange the cheese and ham between these slices. Butter the outside of the bread, and place it in the hot panini grill, the sandwich maker, or in a hot skillet. When the bottom side of the sandwich is golden brown, carefully flip it over. Continue to grill/fry until the other side is now golden brown too. Remove from pan. Cut in half, dip in ketchup, and eat. Eat hot! 

*If you don't have, or want to use butter, slather the outside of the bread slices liberally with mayonnaise and fry the sandwich in the pan. Use real mayo, not salad dressing!