The most dip-ready grilled cheese

Cheesy gouda rollups (Mary Elizabeth Williams)

You don’t need an expensive new piece of equipment, or an obscure ingredient you have to hunt for. You just need a fresh way of preparing an old favorite. In "One Way," we’ll revisit classic ingredients and dishes, giving them a new twist with an easy technique you haven’t tried before.

Everything they say about the cheese is true. I am currently in the Netherlands, where fields of contented looking cows roam the countryside, and where, in related developments, magnificent wheels of Gouda and Edam groan out of every other storefront. With the exception of a brief, memorable visit to Wisconsin a few years ago, I have never before been in a place where cheese is so reverently yet enthusiastically regarded. Obviously, I am like a kid in a candy store, except the candy is cheese.

And while I could die happy just eating all the cheese in the store straight out of the case, sometimes it is nice to make a little effort. Hence, roll-ups. Roll-ups are like a grilled cheese crossed with taquitos — crunchy, flavorful and just begging to be dipped. In other words, they're exquisite.

The key to a good roll-up is to fight the more-is-more impulse and don't overdo it with the cheese. You want to get a good, tight roll and you want the heat to be able to reach the center. Done correctly, these roll-ups are perfect for dunking in your tomato soup, or, as I enjoyed them recently, a pool of marinara sauce. I made mine with a Gouda that must have come from God's own favorite cow, but you can use any sliced cheese here you like.

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Inspired by Damn Delicious and Spend with Pennies

Crunchy Gouda cheese roll-ups

Yields

2 servings

Prep Time

 5 minutes

Cook Time

 5  minutes

Ingredients

• 2 slices of white bread 
• 2 slices of Gouda cheese, or your own favorite cheese
• 2 tablespoons of butter

Directions

1. Heat a a large skillet over a medium flame. Melt your butter in it.

2. Cut the crusts off your bread slices.

3. With a rolling pin or wine bottle, flatten the bread slices as thinly as possible. Fresh bread works better. 

4. Place 1 slice of cheese on top of each slice of bread, and roll in up gently but tightly. Use a toothpick to secure if it's not going well.
5. Add the roll ups to the skillet, turning over a few times, until the exterior is golden and toasty and the cheese has melted, about 3 to 4 minutes.
6. Enjoy immediately.

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Cook's Notes

A slick of mustard or mayo inside the roll-ups would not hurt matters.

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