This is by far, one of the more interesting and delicious sandwich melts I have come across over the years! I’m so glad I learned to make it! 🙂 It transforms an average melt into a masterpiece of provolone, turkey, and yummy veggies, topped with a creamy homemade blue cheese dressing.
With only a few minutes of assembly, lunch has just become a whole new experience!
This hearty, gooey infamous melt originates from a small private pool side bar I worked at years ago. The sandwich was called the “Kona K” and it was the most popular sandwich on the menu. For good reason!
At first glance, the ingredients may seem a bit of an odd combination, but they really do accent one another beautifully! The use of homemade dressing (versus store bought) takes it up another notch. A keeper for sure!
Never really knew why this turkey melt was called the Kona K, but everyone in town knew the sandwich!
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Just a couple of things to note before we get started…
#1 – I’ve grilled this sandwich with a panini press, as well as on the stove top. Both provide the same delicious result. This time, I chose to just grill it on the stove top. If using a panini press, just follow the steps you would normally take with any grilled sandwich using the press.
#2 – I used potato bread this time around, because that’s what I had on hand. I prefer it on whole wheat or honey wheat, but the different bread did not take away from the end result. It was yummy, just the same!
#3 – I definitely recommend taking the extra few minutes to prepare this homemade blue cheese dressing. It is far better than store bought. It has a creamy base with nice blue cheese chunks mixed in. Not too sweet, and it has just the right salt and pepper ratio. Perfect!
#4 – I used milk for thinning the dressing out, but buttermilk is also commonly used with blue cheese dressing. Either is fine.
Without further delay…
Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing
Tools you will need:
- Whisk
- Small 1-2 quart mixing bowl
- Measuring cup
- Measuring spoons
- Cutting board
- Sharp knife
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup mayo
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp Worcestershire
- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt (or to taste)
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper (to taste)
- 1 1/2 tbsp. green onion
- 2 ounces crumbled blue cheese
- 1 tsp. milk or buttermilk (optional)
Prep Time: 5 -10 minutes
Total Time : 5 – 10 minutes
Step By Step Instructions:
1. Combine the first 7 ingredients, in a small mixing bowl. Whisk until thoroughly blended and smooth.
2. Add 2 ounces of crumbled blue cheese and 1 1/2 Tbsp. sliced green onion to the mixing bowl.
3. Using a spatula, fold the blue cheese and green onion, into the mixture until thoroughly combined.
4. Add milk or buttermilk for thinning if desired. Fold into mixture.
5. Taste to see if more salt and pepper are needed.
***Transfer left over dressing to small container with airtight lid, for refrigerated storage. This recipe makes about 3/4 cup of dressing.
And the final product…the melty delicious concoction that is fondly known as the Kona K.
Tools you will need:
- Spreader
- Small frying pan
- Sharp knife
Ingredients:
- 2 Slices bread (wheat or honey wheat is best!)
- About 2 ounces homemade blue cheese dressing (store bought if in a pinch for time…only reason to use store bought!)
- Two slices provolone cheese
- 5-6 slices thin sliced deli turkey breast
- Sliced white mushrooms
- Alfalfa sprouts
- Butter
Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time: 8 – 10 Minutes
Total Time: approx. 15 minutes
Servings: 1
Step By Step Instructions (Stovetop):
1. Set your stovetop burner to medium-high heat and preheat a medium sized frying pan for about 5 minutes.
2. Liberally spread blue cheese dressing on one side of both slices of bread. Add one slice of provolone cheese to each slice of bread.
Spread butter on the other side of each slice of bread, for grilling.
3. Next, add 2-3 slices of turkey to each slice of bread. Add sliced mushrooms to one side of the sandwich. (to cover surface)
4. Spray pan with cooking spay and add slices of bread, butter side down. Add a handful of sprouts to the top of the mushroom side.
5. Grill the two sides for approximately 3-4 minutes until the bottoms are light golden brown. Then place the slice of bread (with just turkey and cheese), on top of the other slice of bread, to form a complete sandwich.
Grill each side for another 2 minutes or until both sides are a dark golden brown.
6. Remove the sandwich from the pan. Let rest 1 minute and cut. Enjoy every last bite 🙂
Question of the day…
And now to answer the question that is probably burning in your head…
Why partially grill the sandwich halves before combining?
The answer is this…
By exposing the vegetables until the end of the process, the sandwich gets that gooey cheesy goodness you want, while the vegetables maintain their crisp, crunchy texture at the same time.
The veggies will gain more moisture if sandwich is completely assembled the entire time it is grilling. Thus, they will loose the crunch aspect.
Hope that makes sense!
Then again…if you don’t care so much about the texture, you can just assemble the sandwich completely before grilling. The choice is totally yours. Either way, this is certainly a sandwich you will want to include in your lunch menu for those days when you want something a bit different, but delicious!
Last Thoughts…
When you try this recipe, don’t forget to let us know in the comment section, how it tuns out!
Don’t forget to like and share this recipe with your family and friends!
Looks so good. Homemade blue cheese sounds really good. Will try making that for sure. Thanks for the recipe.
It really is as good as it looks 🙂 Thanks for reading!
This looks yummy and great for a picnic menu
Thanks for reading!
I want to have a turkey and cheese and mushroom sandwich can you send me one?
Afraid that wouldn’t hold so well 😉 You’ll have to make one and let me know how it turns out!