Good morning from the first day of winter in Portland. Somehow, school is canceled. There isn’t a single flake of snow on the ground. I’m a little grumpy about not getting the snow I was promised. I was looking forward to busting out my now one-year-aged eggnog. It seems far less appropriate without snow. But I’m kind of still holding out hope, because my iphone’s weather app says that we are headed toward a 90% chance of snow around noon. In the meantime, let’s talk warm sandwiches.

Ham and swiss on its own is a little boring, if you ask me. It hits only one note: richness. You could fix this by covering your sandwich in pickles, which is a great solution. But if you are feeling particularly autumnal, can I suggest adding apple slices instead?

Not only does this add the much-needed acidity to the ham-and-cheese combo that’s usually covered by the pickle department. But I think the sweetness is a fun contrast and adds a little zip.

I am pretty sure we’ve all eaten our last non-toasted sandwiches of the year, unless you live in Florida or something. So why not make the toasty ones a little more fun?

Here’s what you need, per sandwich
2 slices of rustic bread
4 slices of ham
5-6 thin slices granny smith apple
2-3 thin slices swiss cheese
Coarse mustard
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Spread mustard thinly on one side of the bread, and top with ham, apple slices and swiss cheese.

Melt the butter in a skillet or griddle over medium heat. Place the sandwich in the pan and heat – keep it on medium so you can melt the cheese while the bread browns slowly. Flip the bread and make sure to brown both sides! Then slice and serve.