This “grown-up grilled cheese,” as chef Preeti Mistry calls it, is inspired by both the street food classic found in Mumbai and versions found at some of their favorite Bay Area restaurants. Mistry’s Bombay Sandwich is made with onions cooked down into jam, plus potatoes, two kinds of cheese (Monterey Jack for meltiness and tangy cheddar to cut the spice and richness of the onion), and Scallion Chutney (you’ll have plenty extra, and we suggest you use it on everything). For the bread Mistry says to use a really good sourdough for structure and nuance in texture and flavor—and a steak press or fish weight, if you have one, to get a really good sear.
Ingredients
Makes 8
Onion jam
¼
1
1
2
Scallion Chutney
1
1
1
1
2½
1
3
potatoes and assembly
2
16
12
12
¼
4
Preparation
Onion Jam
Step 1
Cook oil, mustard seeds, and turmeric in a large skillet over medium-high, stirring occasionally, until seeds begin to pop, about 1 minute. Add onions and season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are beginning to soften, about 4 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened and jammy and starting to brown around the edges, 15–20 minutes. Set jam aside.
Do ahead: Jam can be made 1 week ahead. Transfer to an airtight container; cover and chill.
Scallion Chutney
Step 2
Purée scallions, chile, garlic, ginger, cilantro, mint, lemon juice, a big pinch of salt, and ⅔ cup water in a blender until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl. (Makes about 2 cups. Store leftovers in an airtight container; cover, chill, and use within 3 days.)
Potatoes and assembly
Step 3
Place potatoes in a large pot and pour in cold water to cover by 1". Add a large handful of salt (water should taste briny) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer until potatoes are very tender but not falling apart, 30–35 minutes. Drain and let sit until cool enough to handle. Peel potatoes and slice ¼" thick. Let cool completely.
Step 4
Slather one side of bread slices with scallion chutney. Distribute half of Monterey Jack and half of cheddar over 8 slices. Top with some reserved onion jam, followed by 3–4 potato slices. Sprinkle with chaat masala, then top with remaining cheese; close up sandwiches.
Step 5
Heat 1 Tbsp. ghee in a large nonstick skillet. Place 1 or 2 sandwiches (as many as will comfortably fit) in skillet, lay a baking sheet or skillet on top, and cook, pressing, until bottom sides of sandwiches are golden brown, about 4 minutes. Turn sandwiches over and add a bit more ghee to pan if needed. Cover again and cook, pressing, until other side is golden brown and cheese is melted, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into quarters. Repeat with remaining ghee and sandwiches.
Leave a Review
Reviews (35)
Back to TopI do one slice with any green chutney I have in the fridge and the other with tamarind sauce. Adds a little more sweetness in a sour and spicy way. Also, rather than boiling the potato I just slice it into circles and cook them in a pan to get some colour on them. All this with a sambar to dip into on the side is just amazing and really satisfying even as work lunch.
Toph
Oakville, ON
6/28/2022
The recipe disappears almost as soon as the page finishes loading, whether I'm logged in or not. I haven't used this site in a while, but it seems to have really gone downhill.
JP
Tallahassee, FL
6/21/2022
Super delicious and the sliced potatoes make a great stand-in for a meat filling typically found in a sandwich. The flavors meld into a pleasant gestalt with a contrasting set of textures I found really compelling. I used a pair of extra hot cast iron skillets to cook and press these sandwiches into Elysian fields of golden brown. My only beef with the recipe is the potato prep: why the heck are we cooking whole potatoes for 45 minutes and waiting another 15 for them to cool to peel and slice? Next time around, I'll slice them first and then cook them: they should be done in 10 minutes by then.
Sean Kelly
Dallas
5/1/2021
Made these again and wanted to add one more note (also Bebe Von Bernstein from Brooklyn, if you ever see this - can we be friends? We have the same pet peeve :) My instagram is fatima0203). These stay crunchy for a while, but if for some reason you want to keep them crunchy + warm, I kept them in a 225 oven for 1.5 hours on a foiled tray (do not cover though!) and they were still perfect. And on the subject of ghee + breakfast-y foods, if you're not already cooking your eggs in ghee, try it!
Fatima
Chicago
4/17/2021
These sandwiches are so, so good! I made them as directed in the original recipe for dinner, and then made them again the next morning for breakfast with scrambled eggs instead of the potatoes, and it was just as delicious!
Adrienne
Gig Harbor, WA
4/11/2021
made these this weekend and WOAH! wouldn't change a thing, I did have some onion jam leftover (which some of my family did say they wanted even more of on their sandwiches), and have been using them as toppers on all sorts of things. it did make for a super indulgent sandwich but one that every vegetarian dreams of.
Anonymous
New York, NY
4/5/2021
Wow, just wow. These are AMAZING! I made a bunch for a weekend gathering and holy guacamole, these were delicious! I had friends buzzing around me while I made the onions, they were all excited by the smell of caramelizing onions. I doubled the onions and had none left over but I did use generous portions of them on the sandwiches. The flavor was complex, the ghee fried the bread perfectly and like someone else said, they stayed crunchy for much time after making them. I highly recommend making these!
Laura
Portland, OR
4/5/2021
Have not made this recipe yet , but want to give mad props to Fatima in Chicago, who may have written my favorite — and most helpful — recipe review of all time. (And one of my pet peeves is people who weigh in on recipes they haven't made, but tbh, Fatima makes me want to make this recipe as much as the original recipe). BA: Any way to follow specific reviewers? That would rock, as I'd like to follow Fatima . . .
Bebe Von Bernstein
Brooklyn
4/1/2021
This is a lot of work if you think of it like a grilled cheese but if you think of it as a fancy snack at a picnic or as an addition to eggs at brunch then they are SO worth it. I did everything according to the recipe except: I swapped Monterey Jack for Gouda because it's all I had, and I did not use chaat masala because I always hate the sulphury smell I feel like it has. I think I would try it next time though. I used a ton of ghee in my pans and the sandwiches were so perfect that even after sitting for 30 minutes, then getting transferred to a park and sitting another 30 minutes, you could still hear crunching. I will use ghee forever now as the fat to cook grilled cheese in. My accidentally over-boiled potatoes were between a slice and mush, but honestly the slightly mashed potato was a great contrast to the crispy bread, so I wouldn't mind making the same mistake next time. A lot of leftover chutney so whenever I make these again I would double the jammy onions in order to make/eat these sandwiches for days afterwards!
Fatima
Chicago
3/24/2021