The name alone suggests something substantial. Uitsmijter literally means “one who throws you out”, a bouncer, the person who makes sure closing time is final. In food terms, it refers to a classic Dutch open-faced sandwich topped with bread, ham or cheese, and fried eggs.
This is not a delicate sandwich. It’s the kind of meal you order when you’re properly hungry, when a light lunch simply won’t do. Served in cafés across the Netherlands, the uitsmijter is filling, comforting, and unapologetically straightforward: no frills, no fuss, just solid food that does its job well.
In the south of the Netherlands, where I grew up, uitsmijters were served as the last "one for the road before we get thrown out" meal after a night of partying. Groups of friends would usually end up at someone's house late at night (or early in the morning) after the bars closed to wrap up the night with a warm, comforting meal in their stomach before going to bed. Many a parent has woken up to the smell of ham and eggs in the middle of the night, only to find a kitchen full of youngsters eating breakfast. That was often the point where the "throwing out" happened :-)
The Dutch will often have an uitsmijter for breakfast (on the weekends) or lunch. The sandwich is eaten with knife and fork and is a full meal. The great thing about it is that you can make this sandwich your own: you decide what bread, what cheese, what meat, and how you like your eggs fried. It's all good!
Most often the choice of meat will be ham, if not specified, but uitsmijters can also be served with roast beef, pastrami, turkey, bacon, or even just with cheese.
The eggs are usually served sunny-side up, over medium. If you order an uitsmijter for breakfast it's served by itself. As a lunch item, it usually comes accompanied with a small salad on the side or some greens to spruce it up.
Uitsmijter
2 slices of breadButter
2 slices ham
4 slices cheese
2 eggs
Put two slices of bread on a plate, and butter them lightly. Put the slices of ham on the bread, then the cheese. Add butter to a skillet and fry the eggs. If you want, you can also fry the ham. When the eggs are done to your liking, slide them on top of the cheese, add some salt and pepper, and you're ready to go!
