Spicy Cheddar Biscuit Breakfast Sandwiches with Bacon Cheddar Mornay Sauce

I recently resolved to do fewer brunch posts here on lawandlentils, and as you may have guessed from the dish I’ve chosen to write about today, that’s going swimmingly.

Writing a food blog is a weird experience, y’all.  There are so many unwritten rules in the food-y corner of the internet, and it’s hard to balance writing in your own voice with writing in a way that will feel familiar to the reader.  You want to meet their expectations of what a food blog is “supposed” to be, since that’s how you’re presenting yourself, but you also want to be genuine and stay true to yourself.  My boyfriend is thinking about starting a bread blog, but wants to skip over almost all the “tropes” of food blogs, and I’ve been trying to explain to him that it’s tougher than you think– the impulse to conform is real!

Those are my favorite blogs, though– the ones where the author’s personality clearly shines through. Particularly if they’re willing to be honest about their mistakes, and about the less pretty parts of their lives.  There’s so much pressure to make everything beautiful and perfect in any kind of “lifestyle” blog, but even though those blogs are nice and aspirational to look at, they can also feel impersonal and devoid of real feeling.  I have a great deal of admiration for people like Deb Perelman, who manage to be unique and (seemingly) fully themselves, while also being relatable and having mass appeal.  That takes serious skill.  And, I think, vulnerability.  Ain’t it grand that there are people like that out there, willing to open up and share themselves with the world so we can all benefit?  I aim to be that way here, and I also want to do more of that in real life.  Leading with an open heart is scary, but I’m fairly confident it’s worth it, in the end.

Spicy Cheddar Biscuit Breakfast Sandwiches with Bacon Cheddar Mornay Sauce 

• Bacon (2 slices per person)
• Arugula (1/2 c. per person)
• Roasted Red Peppers (2 slices (slices? Is that what one calls them?) per person)
• Fried Eggs (1-2 per person, depending on their appetite!)
• Cheddar Biscuits (see below)
• Bacon Cheddar Mornay Sauce (see below)
• Scallions, as garnish

Cook up bacon and reserve fat for use in mornay sauce.  Mix up biscuit dough; while biscuits are baking, make mornay sauce.  When biscuits come out of the oven, cool on a rack for a few minutes, then turn the oven to broil.  Fry up eggs, or prepare in whatever way you take your eggs in the morning (wink wink).  Slice biscuits in half and assemble sandwiches on a cookie sheet lined with parchment: layer on eggs, then roasted peppers, arugula, and bacon.  Top with top half of the biscuit and spoon mornay sauce over sandwiches.  Broil for a few minutes, until top is bubbling and beginning to crisp.  Serve with forks, because these are deeeefinitely not sandwiches meant for eating with your hands! (Though if you’re feeling ambitious, strap on a bib and go for it, I suppose.)

Cheddar Biscuits

I start with King Arthur’s Baking Powder Biscuits recipe, but make a few tweaks:

• Add 2 t. garlic powder and 1 1/2 t. cayenne to give your biscuits an extra kick (these will basically wind up being spicier Red Lobster copycats, so don’t be surprised when biting into one brings out your inner Beyoncé)
• Use frozen butter, and grate it in to incorporate it quickly into the dry ingredients without melting it (as a general rule, the colder the butter, the flakier your end product)
• After grating in butter, stir in 8 oz. sharp cheddar 
• Use buttermilk rather than regular milk (if you don’t have any buttermilk on hand, just add 4 t. lemon juice to milk and let it sit for a few minutes)
• I made these positively giant, so I only got 4 out of this recipe.  If you’re cooking for a less voracious crowd, you can assuredly get a few more sandwiches out of it!

Bacon Cheddar Mornay Sauce

• 2 T. Bacon Fat (leftover from making bacon for the sandwich– if you’re skipping the bacon, butter works just fine too)
• 2 T. Flour
• 2 c. Milk
• 2 c. Sharp Cheddar, grated
• 1/2 c. Gorgonzola, crumbled
• Black Pepper, to taste

Heat bacon fat in a sauce pan over medium heat; whisk in flour and cook for a few minutes.  Slowly whisk in milk until smooth and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.  When mixture begins to boil, reduce heat to low and stir in cheddar and gorgonzola one handful at a time, stirring until incorporated.  Season with pepper to taste.  Keep on low heat until needed.

*Note: this recipe makes more sauce than you’ll need; use the leftovers for mac and cheese, or poured over broccoli or another crunchy veggie if you’re less carb-inclined.

If you’re a fan of croque monsieurs, you’ll be on board with this sandwich, I think.  And if you’re not, I bet it’s been a while since you last tried a sandwich smothered in cheese sauce– why not give it another shot and see if your palate’s changed?

Books! Currently reading: Her Body and Other Parties.  Thoroughly enjoying it (although oof, the SVU story was tough for me to get through), but also really excited to wrap it up and get started on The Power!