How to make loaded toasted sandwiches à la Meghan Markle

Caprese avocado toast

Caprese avocado toast

Published Mar 8, 2021

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“That’s a really loaded piece of toast!”

Those are the words of Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, which has gone viral.

The former member of the British Royal Family said thd phrase during her interview with Oprah Winfrey early on Monday morning, South African time.

Oprah had interviewed Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, about their troubles with the British royal family and the institution as a whole, which saw them leave the UK and relocate to the US.

The interview, which is probably going to be one of the most-watched interviews in recent history, saw the couple reveal a number of shocking things that had happened to them, including their son, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, being denied a title due to concerns about his skin colour.

But it was the “that’s a really loaded piece of toast” that provided a moment of humour for many people watching the interview. Meghan is an early fan of avocado toast and was seen serving it to her good friend and make-up artist, Daniel Martin, when he came to visit her when she lived in Kensington Palace.

In honour of our new favourite phrase to describe something that’s either difficult, ridiculous or a bit too much, here are some of our favourite loaded toasted sandwiches.

Martha Stewart’s Monte Cristo

Martha Stewart’s Monte Cristo is the best way to use leftover turkey. Picture from Instagram

Makes: 4 sandwiches

Ingredients

2 tbs unsalted butter, softened, for brushing

6 large eggs, lightly beaten

1¼ cups whole milk

Coarse salt and freshly ground white pepper

½ cup cranberry sauce, coarsely chopped if chunky

8 thick slices of white bread

Thinly sliced roast turkey

Cheddar, grated

Method

Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Line a baking sheet with a non-stick baking mat; brush with butter. In a baking dish, whisk together eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper.

Spread cranberry sauce on four slices of bread. Top with turkey; season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle cheese evenly over turkey. Top with remaining bread slices. Carefully transfer sandwiches to the egg mixture and soak, pressing lightly with a spoon, 1 minute a side.

Transfer to a baking sheet; bake for 15 minutes. Flip and bake 7 minutes more. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Roasted Tomatoes and Avocado on Toast

Roasted Tomatoes and Avocado on Toast. | Goran Kosanovic The Washington Post.

A thin layer of sweet-tart tomato jam keeps the toast from getting too soggy, and the addition of a roasted tomato turns this into something more substantial.

Adapted from a recipe at Olivemagazine.com.

Ingredients

2 or 3 juicy Roma tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise

Olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Flesh of 1 ripe avocado (on the small side)

2 tbs fresh lime juice

Pinch sweet Spanish smoked paprika (pimenton) or Aleppo pepper

2 or 3 tbs tomato jam (may substitute no-sugar apricot preserves)

2 slices sturdy, thick multigrain or rye bread, toasted

Watercress or pea shoots, for garnish

Preheat the toaster oven to 220° degrees. Line a small baking pan with aluminium foil.

Arrange the tomatoes, cut sides up, on the baking pan.

Drizzle with the oil and season lightly with salt and pepper.

Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, or until softened and a bit toasted at the edges.

Meanwhile, combine the avocado, lime juice, smoked paprika or Aleppo pepper and a small pinch of salt in a medium bowl; use a fork to mash into a coarse consistency.

Spread the tomato jam (1 tablespoon per) on the toasted bread slices, then the avocado mixture. Top with the roasted tomato halves (2 halves per) and the greens.

You may wish to cut the slices in half, for ease of eating. Serve right away.

James Martin's Grilled Ham & Cheese (Serves 4)

It's the ultimate ham and cheese toasted sandwich, plus it's really simple and of course, delicious

Ingredients

8 thick slices white bread

100g Cheddar cheese, grated

4 thick slices ham

100g butter

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the béchamel sauce

25g butter

25g plain flour

300ml milk

Directions

For the béchamel sauce, melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat.

Stir in the flour using a wooden spoon, then cook gently for 1 minute, still stirring.

Remove the pan from the heat and gradually whisk in the milk until smooth.

Return the pan to the heat and continue to cook, stirring constantly with the wooden spoon, until the sauce thickens.

Season with salt and pepper, then remove from the heat and leave until cold.

To make the sandwiches, spread a layer of the béchamel sauce over one side of 4 slices of the bread, then top each one with cheese, ham and another slice of bread.

Melt the butter in a large, non-stick frying pan until foaming and fry the sandwiches, two at a time, 2 to 3 minutes each side. Serve with a sprinkle of sea salt.

Recipe adapted from James Martin’s French Adventure: 80 Classic French Recipes