Tuna melt with fries

Just because we can’t go to the diner during COVID-19 lockdown doesn’t mean we can’t bring the diner to us.

Today I’m making a classic diner dish: tuna melt with fries that are baked in the oven and equally delicious.

I start with the fries: Peel three russet potatoes and hand cut medium-sized fry slices, then get those potatoes into a bowl of cold water to soak for 1 hour.

Now to get started on the tuna filling: Thoroughly drain two cans of tuna and keep it in the strainer in the sink. Add 1/4 cup minced red onion and squeeze the juice of one lemon onto everything, stirring to incorporate. You want the lemon to marinate the tuna and onion but you want to keep it draining so your tuna mixture doesn’t get soggy.

Most tuna melt fillings simply call for mayo, but I’m incorporating 1/4 cup mayo with 1 tbsp of cream cheese to give it more zip. Mix that with the lemony tuna mixture and add some chopped parsley. That goes into the fridge until you’re ready to make the tuna melt.

Butter four slices of bread, turn them over, and spread a thin layer of mayo on each side. Meanwhile, thinly slice Emmental cheese (6 slices for two sandwiches) and shred about 1/4 cup of Monterey Jack cheese (a good melter).

Let’s get those potatoes out of the water bowl and thoroughly dry them in a dish towel. You want all of the moisture out of those potatoes before generously bathing them in olive oil and sprinkling them with kosher salt.

They are ready to go into a 400 F oven for 30 minutes before turning and another 10-15 minutes or until they’re golden brown. Once they’re ready, toss them onto a plate with paper towel to soak up the oil and sprinkle with kosher salt.

They’re crunchy on the outside and creamy on the inside. Perfect. Now let’s get this tuna melt happening. In a large frying pan, place one slice of bread, buttered side down, top with a 1/2-inch layer of tuna spread, the shredded Jack cheese, three Emmenthal slices, a thinly sliced pickles.

Top with the other bread slice, buttered side up and cook on medium high heat until the bread is golden brown and crispy on both sides—until it looks like:

The cheesy tuna mixture oozes out and kind of tastes like tuna dip in between two crunchy pieces of grilled bread. Add those crispy fries and you’ll think you had a diner lunch without ever leaving home.

— Trish Hennessy