Gochujang Grilled Cheese with Peanut-Kale Salad, from Gael

Gochujang Grilled Cheese with Peanut-Kale Salad, from Gael

From Plated meal-kit service, made 5-27-19, Memorial Day. Yum! I didn't know what gochujang even was. Probably any chile paste or spicy spread of your choice will work. This is great--easy, tasty, love the simple healthy salad.

Comments from Plated: "In yet another brilliant twist on grilled cheese, we’re adding gochujang (a savory, spicy Korean chile paste). It melds with the melty Fontina and white Cheddar as the sandwiches toast in the pan. On the side, a crunchy and refreshing kale and green apple salad is tossed in our popular peanut vinaigrette.

Korean gochujang combines fermented soybeans with dried red chiles, garlic, and other seasonings for a condiment that’s spicy, salty, and rich. We're slathering the sauce over sourdough bread, piling on white Cheddar and Fontina, and toasting the sandwiches until crisp and melty."

1 packet peanut butter
6 ounces dinosaur kale
1 Granny Smith apple
3 scallions
1 tablespoon gochujang
2 packets mayonnaise
1 packet gluten-free soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
½ tablespoon dark brown sugar
4 slices sourdough bread
2 ounces shredded white Cheddar cheese
2 ounces shredded Fontina cheese

1. Prepare ingredients
Set peanut butter aside to soften at room temperature. Rinse all produce. Stack kale leaves and thinly slice, discarding long stems. Slice off rounded sides of apple, discarding core, and thinly slice. Trim and discard scallion roots and thinly slice.

2. Make gochujang sauce
Heat ½ tablespoon canola oil in a large nonstick pan over medium heat. When oil is shimmering, add scallions and cook, stirring, until softened, 3–4 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Transfer scallions to a small bowl, add gochujang and 1 packet mayonnaise, and stir to combine. Wipe pan clean and set aside for cooking sandwiches.

3. Make peanut-kale salad
In a large bowl, whisk together soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, peanut butter, 1½ tablespoons canola oil, ⅛ teaspoon salt, and pepper as desired. Add kale and apple to bowl with dressing and toss to coat. Set aside until ready to serve (don't worry about the salad getting soggy—sturdy kale will only get more tender and delicious the longer it soaks up the dressing).

4. Assemble grilled cheese
Place bread slices on a clean, dry surface. Spread remaining mayonnaise over 1 side of bread slices, then flip. Spread gochujang sauce over plain sides of 2 bread slices; top remaining bread slices with white Cheddar and Fontina. Add gochujang-topped bread slices to cheese-topped bread slices, mayonnaise-side up (see recipe tip).

5. Cook grilled cheese
Return pan from scallions to medium heat. Carefully hover your hand a few inches away from the pan—when you can easily feel heat, add sandwiches. Place a medium heavy pan or large plate on top to weight down and cook until bread is golden and cheese is melted, 3– 4 minutes per side (see recipe tip). Transfer to cutting board.

6. Plate grilled cheese
Halve gochujang grilled cheese and divide between serving plates. Serve with peanut-kale salad. Enjoy with fellow cheese lovers!