The Hot Brown

Not your average hot turkey sandwich, the Hot Brown was invented at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky to absorb the bourbon that guests would enjoy well into the night.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 1 hr 10 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins
• Calories: 1280 Calories

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups heavy cream
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 8 slices bacon
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon oil
• 1 pinch paprika, or to taste
• 2 tablespoons salted butter
• 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
• ½ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
• 12 slices tomato
• 8 slices white bread, toasted
• 2 pounds boneless turkey breast with skin on
• 8 tablespoons grated Pecorino Romano cheese, or to taste
• 4 teaspoons chopped Italian parsley, or to taste

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Step 2

Set an oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler.

Step 3

Season the skinless side of the turkey breast with 1/2 of the kosher salt and herbes de Provence. Season the skin side with the remaining kosher salt. Place turkey skin-side up into an oiled baking dish.

Step 4

Roast in the preheated oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the turkey registers 148 degrees F (64 degrees C), 45 to 60 minutes.

Step 5

Place bacon on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Remove turkey from the oven and let cool.

Step 6

Bake bacon in the hot oven until about halfway cooked, 10 to 15 minutes.

Step 7

Melt butter in a pot over medium heat. Stir in flour until combined. Cook, stirring occasionally, until roux smells like cooked pie crust, about 3 minutes. Whisk in cream all at once. Cook until Mornay sauce is thickened and starting to boil, about 5 minutes. Immediately turn off the heat.

Step 8

Season Mornay sauce with salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Stir in 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano cheese until combined. Add nutmeg and stir briefly.

Step 9

Cut turkey into thick slices. Pull off the skin.

Step 10

Stack 2 bread slices on top of each other and trim off the crusts. Cut 1 slice into 2 triangles. Place bread in a small baking dish set on top of a sheet pan. Top bread with 3 slices of turkey. Place 3 tomato slices in between. Ladle 1/4 of the Mornay sauce all over and cover with 2 tablespoons Pecorino Romano cheese. Sprinkle with paprika; lay the partially cooked bacon across the top. Repeat with remaining ingredients to make 3 more servings.

Step 11

Bake under the broiler until bacon is crispy and the tops are well browned, about 5 minutes. Place on napkin-lined plates and sprinkle parsley over each dish.