Grilled Sandwiches and Oven Roasted Fries

I’ve always been a great fan of junk food ( I think many heads are nodding a “me too”) and the best eateries back home have got to be in Bangalore..from the roadside gol guppas to the small fast food joints. There was one such fast food joint bang in the middle of the busiest shopping Complex in Jayanagar, "Cool Joint" which serves an array of grilled sandwiches, chats, fresh fruit juices and mouth watering desserts at very low prices. Those familiar with Bangalore will know exactly what I’m talking about.

The last few months before I got married, I stayed in Bangalore at my granny’s and my brother and I made endless visits to Cool Joint…the yummy huge Veg. Grilled Sandwiches, a tall glass of fresh fruit juice and of course the glorious warm black forest cake with cold vanilla ice cream drizzled with chocolate sauce…ohhh makes me drool! A few days back I felt like eating the same Grilled Sandwich and was really missing it…I distinctly remembered what went into the sandwich so thought of giving it a try at home. Few sizzles on the grill and voila..we were chomping on delicious Grilled sandwiches..here’s how I made them.

You will need

8 slices of bread
10 slices of tomato
10 slices of Cucumber
4 slices of Onion
2 tbsps butter
Cheese slices (any cheese, I used Mozzarella, which is the stringiest and best for grilled sandwiches)
Pudina chutney
Grill pan or toaster grill (sandwich maker)

To make Pudina chutney

Mint – 1 to 1 ½ bunches
Garlic – 4 to 5 small pods
Onions- ½
Green chillies – 7-8
Cilantro (coriander) – ½ bunch
Salt to taste

Grind the above with little water. Store in an airt tight container and refrigerate. Freeze in a plastic container if you want to store it for a long time.

Apply pudina chutney on one side of each slice of bread. Place tomato, onion and cucumber slices. Place the cheese slices and then the other slice of bread, pudina side down. Apply butter to the top slice and place butter side down on a grill pan or in the toaster grill. If using a grill pan butter only one side and apply to the other side when you flip it.

(If using a toaster grill apply butter on both sides and close grill. Toast according to manufacturer’s instructions)

I used a grill pan and placed something heavy on the bread to get good grill marks. I placed another pan on the sandwich and placed two heavy food cans. This helped even grilling. Each side takes about 2 minutes or less so watch carefully when the bread is on the grill...can burn easily. Before you flip the bread to grill the other side apply butter and then flip.

When done, cut into triangles and serve with ketchup/sauce.

Oven Toasted Fries

I love French Fries (who doesn’t!) and I’m always looking for ways to make them in a health way at home. The best way is to roast potatoes in the oven, they not only taste better but a lot of the grease can be done away with.

You will need:

12 Red russet potatoes
½ tsp Salt
½ tsp Black Pepper Powder
¼ cup Olive oil
¾ tsp Dried Oregano
Few tbsps Parmesan Cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 450 F. Quarter the potatoes (leave skins on) and toss with salt, pepper and olive oil in a large bowl to coat well. Evenly layer the potatoes on a baking sheet. Sprinkle dried oregano on top.

Bake for 30-35 minutes till potatoes are browned and crisp on the outside. Flip potatoes every 10 minutes to ensure they cook evenly.

Once done, sprinkle parmesan(if using) on the hot potatoes. This helps melt the cheese. Serve immediately by itself or along side grilled sandwiches.