Hot Brown Sandwich

The Hot Brown is an open-faced sandwich based on toasted white bread upon which thin slices of turkey or chicken, ham, crisp bacon, and sliced tomato are layered. A rich cheese sauce, usually made from cheddar, is spooned over the top. Sprinkled with grated parmesan cheese, the sandwich is quickly broiled until bubbling hot. Fred K. Schmidt, chef at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky, created the Hot Brown to serve famished guests following the nightly dinner dances featured at the hotel after it opened in 1923. The sandwich was so popular that it was added to the hotel’s luncheon menu along with a cold version, composed of rye bread, chicken or turkey, lettuce, sliced tomato, and hard-boiled egg and served with Thousand Island dressing. Long revered as a favorite sandwich of the upper South, the Hot Brown, or one of the many variations on the original, is found on menus throughout the United States.