Grilled Cheese and Carnitas Sandwiches

When I went to the store yesterday to get some salmon, I also asked for a pound of ground pork so I could make some breakfast sausage.  They didn't have any so a got the smallest pork shoulder I could find. It was three pound. i cut off a pound for the sausage and made carnitas with the rest.  I put them in a sandwich with cheeses, apple butter (instead of apple chutney) and I used a store bought brioche instead of sourdough. I didn't use as much blue cheese or as much parm as the recipe but I doubled everything else to make four sandwiches.  We ended up only eating two and a half. They turned out really good.

Carnitas and  Chutney Grilled Cheese Sandwich

CARNITAS

:

• 2 pounds boneless pork shoulder
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil
  (such as canola)
• 1 orange, halved
• 1 cup whole milk
• 5 thyme sprigs
• 1 bay leaf

GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH

:

• 1 ounce Verde Capra blue cheese or other blue cheese, crumbled
• 1 ounce aged white cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/2 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 tablespoon minced parsley
• 1 teaspoon finely minced shallot
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon whole-grain mustard
• 2 artisan organic sourdough bread slices, lightly toasted
• 3 tablespoons store-bought spiced apple chutney or preserves
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

How to Make It

Step 1    

Make the carnitas. Preheat oven to 275°F. Season pork shoulder with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over moderate heat. Sear pork shoulder until golden brown all over, 5 to 6 minutes per side. Remove pork from pan. Pour off drippings and discard. Return pork to pan and squeeze juice from orange halves over pork. Add spent rinds to pan along with milk, thyme, and bay leaf. Cover with a lid or two layers of aluminum foil. Roast in preheated oven until very tender, pork is sizzling in fat, and a meat thermometer registers 195°F, 3 to 4 hours. Let pork rest for 20 minutes. Shred pork, discarding any large pieces of fat.

Step 2    

Make the grilled cheese: In a small bowl, fold together the blue cheese, cheddar, Parmesan, parsley, and shallot. In a second small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise and mustard.

Step 3    

Spread each slice of bread with the mayonnaise-mustard mixture. Top one slice with cheese mixture, 1/3 cup carnitas, and chutney, then top with remaining bread slice.

Step 4    

Melt butter in a cast-iron skillet or griddle over moderate heat. Press the sandwich and top with another skillet or heavy, heatproof plate. Cook until bread is golden and cheese is melted, about 5 minutes per side.