If you’ve never had a Hot Brown, you probably think it sounds kind of gross just based on the name. You don’t know what you’re missing. This open-faced sandwich was invented at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, and consists of a thick slice of buttered toast topped with tomato, roasted turkey, and mornay sauce, then placed under the broiler until it’s brown and bubbly and topped with bacon. It’s basically a fat bomb of a meal, minus the carbs in the bread. If you can get rid of those, it’s almost perfect keto goodness. And that’s where the chaffles come into play.
You may be wondering what the weird dish is that I’m serving this in. To be honest, I had to turn to my Facebook friends to figure out what it’s called. Turns out it’s a skillet baker. While I’m linking you to the ones on Amazon, I got six of them for about the same price as one on Amazon by going to my local restaurant supply store several years ago. You can find a lot of great kitchen equipment there for dirt cheap. I got my stainless steel skillet on the same trip and I’ve been beating the crap out of it ever since and it still looks pristine. Restaurant supply stores have the most durable kitchen equipment ever, which makes sense when you think about it.
It seems like this recipe would take forever, since it has so many steps, but it’s really just a matter of timing. Get your chaffles made while you’re making the sauce, and you can put it all together in no time flat. Because I wanted to simulate the crunch of the toast in the original recipe, I made the original crispy cheese chaffle. Just beat one egg, sprinkle a tablespoon of shredded cheddar directly onto the preheated Dash mini-waffle iron, then pour on half the egg, then sprinkle another tablespoon of cheese on top. Close the iron and cook for 3-5 minutes, until the cheese gets golden brown and crunchy. Remove the chaffle and repeat.
A finished chaffle topped with a tomato slice. <3
The sauce is super easy to make, and as long as you have all the ingredients ready, it will come together while the first chaffle is cooking. First, put 2 ounces of cream cheese and 1/3 cup of heavy cream into a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until the cream cheese is incorporated, then add 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese and 1/4 cup of shredded Swiss cheese. Whisk it to melt the cheeses, and then add 2 teaspoons of dry sherry and 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg, plus a few grinds of white pepper. If you don’t have the sherry, that’s okay. It might not have the same depth of flavor, but it’ll still be super good. If you feel like the sauce is too thick, water it down with a tablespoon of heavy cream, but you want it to be pretty thick so it stays on top of the sandwich. I usually cook the bacon when I start the sauce, because it’ll be ready about the time the sandwiches are done.
Ready to go under the broiler!
To assemble a sandwich, first put your chaffle in the baker, or on a butter-greased foil-lined baking sheet if you don’t have one. Top the chaffle with a thick slice of tomato, then with 4 ounces of deli roast turkey, or leftover roast turkey if you have it. This recipe is great for Thanksgiving leftovers! Finally, pour half the sauce over the top, and sprinkle it with about 1/2 teaspoon of grated parmesan. Repeat for the second chaffle. Set your oven to broil and put the rack on the second from the top, so the sandwiches won’t be too close to the heating element. Slide them onto the rack and broil for 2-3 minutes, until the sauce begins to get brown spots on it. Remove them from the oven, then break your bacon slices in half and criss-cross them over the top of the sauce. Serve with a knife and fork. You’ll need them.
Keto Chaffle Hot Brown Sandwich
An open-faced turkey sandwich topped with a rich and creamy sauce.
Preheat the Dash. Once the light goes off, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of cheddar directly onto the iron, top with half of the beaten egg, and then top that with another tablespoon of the cheese. Close the iron and cook for 3-5 minutes, until golden brown and crispy. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
For the Sauce
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream cheese and heavy cream and whisk constantly until the cream cheese dissolves. Add the parmesan and Swiss cheeses and continue whisking until the cheeses melt. Whisk in the sherry, if using, and the nutmeg and white pepper. Continue whisking until smooth, then remove from the heat.
For the Sandwich
Put your oven rack on the second-highest position and set the oven to broil.
If using skillet bakers, put one chaffle on the bottom of each skillet baker. If you don't have a skillet baker, line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil, grease the foil with butter, and then place the two chaffles on top of the greased foil.
Top each chaffle with a tomato slice and 4 ounces of roast turkey, then top with half the sauce. Sprinkle each sandwich with 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of grated parmesan.
Place the sandwiches under the broiler for 2-3 minutes, until the sauce begins to bubble and get brown spots on top. Remove from the oven and place on a heatproof surface.
Break the cooked bacon slices in half and criss-cross them on top of the sandwich. Serve immediately with a knife and fork.
Macros per serving: 572 calories, 3 grams net carbs, 41 grams protein, 41 grams fat.
Keyword chaffles, high protein, keto, lchf, low carb, sandwich, turkey
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I already have one Monte Cristo recipe on here, but sometimes when you have a new invention, you have to readjust. And I’m having a lot of fun with this chaffle business. Every day I think of new ideas I want to try. At this point I’m keeping a list. So expect more chaffles up in here.
The chaffles are the key on this one. As always, you’ll need your Dash mini-waffle iron, and a Magic Bullet blender or other type of blender is also useful, because it’s hard to mix up the cream cheese in the batter without it. You’ll also need Sukrin Gold, Swerve Brown, or another brown sugar substitute, as well as a bit of your white granulated sweetener of choice.
How you make this recipe is a bit like my Reuben recipe, in that you’ll be heating the filling up separately from the bread rather than grilling it like a panini. We’re not making French toast like in my original Monte Cristo recipe because the bread by itself a version of French toast. I basically went for the sweetest, most delicious eggy bread possible. If you don’t want it as sweet, cut back the sweeteners by half. These chaffles would also make an excellent breakfast just on their own, with a little butter and syrup.
You’ll also want to be very specific in how you load your blender for this one. If the cream cheese isn’t right next to the blades, it’s a lot harder to get the batter smooth. So if you have a Magic Bullet, you’ll want to load it like this: 1 egg, 1 tablespoon of almond flour, a half tablespoon of granular sweetener such as monkfruit or Swerve, 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon of baking powder, and 1 tablespoon of cream cheese, in that order. In a standard blender, reverse the order. Blend all that up, and then heat up your Dash. When it’s ready, sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of your brown sugar substitute directly onto the iron, let it melt, then pour on half of the batter. Sprinkle another 1/2 teaspoon on top, then close the waffle iron and let it cook for 3-5 minutes, until it’s golden brown on both sides. Remove it, put it on a plate, and repeat the process for the second chaffle.
While the second chaffle is cooking, layer 2 ounces of ham and 2 ounces of smoked turkey in a round microwave-safe bowl. I ended up using more turkey than ham because that’s what I had, but it’s best if you use an equal amount of both. You’ll want a bowl about the size of the chaffles so you don’t get a ton of overlap. Put a slice of Swiss or Provolone cheese on top and microwave for about 40 seconds, so the meat gets hot and the cheese melts. Take the chaffle that’s already finished and spread your favorite sugar-free jelly on the ugly side (there’s always an ugly side and a pretty side). Invert the contents of the bowl onto that chaffle, so the cheese is on the jelly, then put the bottom chaffle on the meat, invert, and serve.
Bruleed French Toast Chaffle Monte Cristo
A Monte Cristo sandwich made with a sweet French toast chaffle.
Place all ingredients except for the brown sugar substitute in a blender, making sure the cream cheese is closest to the blades. Blend until smooth and slightly foamy.
Preheat your Dash. When the light turns off, open it and sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of the brown sugar substitute directly onto the iron. Pour half the batter onto the iron, then sprinkle with another 1/2 teaspoon of brown sugar substitute. Close the iron and cook for 3-5 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the iron and repeat with the remaining ingredients.
For the Filling
Spread the jelly onto the inside surface of the first chaffle. This should be the surface that was facing up as it cooked.
Layer the ham, turkey, and cheese in a small microwave-safe round bowl. Heat in the microwave for 40 seconds, until the cheese is melted. Invert the bowl onto the top chaffle, so the cheese is directly underneath the jelly. Put the bottom chaffle on, flip it over, and serve.
Macros per serving: 368 calories, 7 grams net carbs, 34 grams protein, 22 grams fat.
Keyword chaffles, high protein, keto, lchf, low carb, sandwich
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A classic deli staple, the reuben sandwich is given a keto twist by using a simple modification to the basic chaffle recipe to create a rye sandwich bread!
My stepfather is from Buffalo, and I spent most of my childhood and well into my adulthood going up there at least once a year to visit my grandparents and eat amazing food. Everyone knows about the chicken wings. They went from fairly niche when I was a kid to pretty much a requirement on the appetizer list of every mid-range restaurant in North America nowadays. I’ll probably post my chicken wing recipes at some point, but today I’m here to talk about the lesser-known Buffalo specialty, the 3rd W in the restaurant formerly known as BW3, the Beef on Weck.
“What’s a weck?” It’s short for kimmelweck, the name of the roll that the Beef on Weck is known for. It’s a crusty kaiser roll topped with caraway seeds and a ton of kosher salt. That roll is piled with thinly sliced fresh roast beef, dipped in au jus, and served with a bunch of horseradish. It was sold in bars in Buffalo in the early 1900s, and thanks to the delicious salty sandwiches, they’d sell a LOT more beer. Genius, really, when you think about it. If you’re ever in Buffalo, stop by Schwabl’s for the best beef on weck in the city, in my opinion.
Being keto, I figured that Beef on Weck was lost to me. I tried a version with cloud bread, but it didn’t hold up well to the au jus. I considered one with a fathead roll, but it just seemed like it would be too dense. When the chaffle trend exploded, it occurred to me that I could actually make a kimmelweck out of a chaffle. A chaffleweck, so to speak. And when those gears start turning in my brain, I only have one real option.
If you want to make these for your non-keto family too, get some plain kaiser rolls, brush the tops with egg white, sprinkle a hefty pinch each of kosher salt and caraway seeds on top, and put them in a 300 degree oven for about 8 minutes, until the tops are no longer shiny. But you’re probably reading this for yourself, so here’s how you make this sandwich keto.
First you’ll want to start with the au jus. Pour a cup of beef broth into a small saucepan, and add a beef bouillon cube (I use Better than Bouillon because, well, it is. For the teaspoon you’d use in this recipe, it only adds one net carb to the whole pot of au jus, which is enough for four sandwiches. Add a half teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce, then bring it to a simmer. Sprinkle 1/8 teaspoon of xanthan gum on top and whisk it in. You don’t want this to hit Thanksgiving gravy levels of thickness, but you definitely want it to coat a spoon a bit. Once it’s thickened, reduce the heat to as low as it can go and let it rest while you make the buns.
For the buns, you’ll need the Dash mini-waffle maker. I’d imagine you already have one if you’re reading this, but if you don’t, get one. There are a billion different chaffle recipes floating around out there, and I keep going all chaffle evil genius, so I’ll keep you in recipes if you’re worried about it. This one uses the standard chaffle base with one beaten egg and 1/4 cup of shredded cheese per two waffles, plus a hefty pinch of kosher salt and caraway seeds sprinkled on the iron before you put in any of the rest of the stuff, for the top chaffle only. I used Swiss cheese for this one, but if you don’t like Swiss, provolone would work just fine. Heat up your chaffle iron, sprinkle it with the caraway seeds and salt, and then add a tablespoon of the shredded cheese. Let that brown for a few seconds, then pour on half of the egg, then another tablespoon of the cheese. Close the chaffle iron and let it cook for about three minutes.
When it’s golden brown and holds its own shape, carefully remove it from the waffle iron with a fork, place it on a plate with the caraway seeds down, and spread horseradish on the other side. Repeat with the remaining cheese and half an egg, but don’t use the caraway seeds and salt on the bottom bun.
The waffle iron sprinkled with caraway seeds and salt, waiting for the cheese and egg.The finished top bun.
While the bottom bun is cooking, put 1/4 pound of high quality deli-sliced roast beef into the au jus and swirl it around to warm it up and get it all juicy. You’ll definitely want it more thinly sliced than I have it in the picture here, but I wasn’t the one who shopped for it, so I get what I get and I don’t throw a fit. You don’t want to heat it up too terribly much or it’ll lose the yummy rareness. Pile the roast beef onto the bottom bun and top it with the top bun (funny how that works) and serve it with lots of napkins. If you are dirty keto, this would be fantastic with a low-carb beer on a football Sunday. I can only hope your team is better than mine. I got the Buffalo food, but I also got the Buffalo sports teams. You take the good, you take the bad…
Beef on Chaffleweck
The beef on weck, a Buffalo classic sandwich, has been given a keto makeover with a chaffle kimmelweck roll!
Combine the beef broth, bouillon, and Worcestershire sauce in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and bring to a simmer. Sprinkle the xanthan gum over the surface and whisk in until there are no more clumps and the au jus thickens. Reduce the heat to as low as possible and keep at a bare simmer as you make the rest of the ingredients.
For the Sandwich
Heat up the Dash until the light turns off. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon each of caraway seeds and salt evenly over the waffle iron. Add 1 tablespoon of the shredded cheese, about 2 tablespoons of the egg, and top with another tablespoon of cheese. Close the lid and cook until the waffle is crispy and holds its own shape, about 3 minutes. Repeat 3 more times, then do the bottom buns the same way only without the caraway seeds and salt. If you want, you can keep the buns in the oven on warm as you make them.
When you're making the last set of buns, put the roast beef into the au jus and turn it to coat, allowing the beef to warm up a bit but not cook. Put 1/4 pound of beef on each bottom bun, top with a teaspoon or so of horseradish, then the top bun. Serve immediately.
Macros per serving: 309 calories, 1 gram net carbs, 38 grams protein, 17 grams fat.
Keyword beef, beef on weck, Buffalo, high protein, keto, lchf, low carb, low-calorie, sandwich
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Any embedded link to a product earns me a portion of the purchase price if you click and buy it.
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