Grilled sandwiches are one of the best joys in life. There’s something magical about combining bread with butter and cheese and heating it until the bread is crisp and toasty and the cheese is melting and soft. This recipe for Grilled Havarti Apple and Bacon Sandwiches is just one example of this wonderful genre.

There are infinite combinations for hot sandwiches, and you can put just about any food you’d like into one. I myself always like to add bacon because, well, bacon! And other great additions are tiny shrimp, chopped cooked chicken, crabmeat, and veggies.

This combination is simply sublime. Havarti has a slightly sour taste and rich texture. The apple is crisp and fresh, and the bacon is a crunchy, smoky, and perfect addition.

You can use any bread you’d like in your grilled cheese sandwich, but I myself prefer Brownberry’s Whole Wheat Bread. It’s the perfect consistency, it stands up well to just about any filling, and it grills to perfection. Another great choice is a sourdough baguette. You want a bread that is assertive and will hold the melty filling. Yum.

Tips for the best Grilled Havarti Apple and Bacon Sandwiches:

• You have to make sure that the bacon is cooked very crisp. Undercooked bacon is just yucky, and it won’t stand up well to the soft melty cheese, crisp apple, and crunchy bread in this recipe.
• The best apple for this recipe is the Granny Smith. It provides the tartness the combination demands, and that type will not brown as fast as others when it is cut.
• The key to the best grilled cheese sandwich is to cover the sandwich while it cooks. That is the only way to make sure the cheese fully melts and is runny and wonderful.
• And you can make it in the air fryer!

Why this recipe works:

• The combination of apple, cheese, bacon, and bread is fabulous and hits all the right flavor and texture notes.