Tasso Ham and Pimento Cheese Sandwich

Some sandwiches happen by accident. This one happened because I got hungry one afternoon at Lagniappe and started raiding the walk-in. We had tasso left from the red beans, and somebody had made a batch of pimento cheese for staff meal. I slapped them together on some bread, threw it on the flat-top, and something beautiful was born.

Tasso is the secret weapon of Cajun cooking. It's not really ham in the traditional sense. It's pork shoulder, cured with salt and sugar, rubbed down with cayenne and garlic, then smoked until it develops that deep, almost wine-dark color. The flavor is intense: smoky, peppery, a little sweet. Most folks use it to season beans and gumbo, but sliced thin and warmed on a griddle, it becomes the star of the show.

Pimento cheese is the other half of this marriage. Down here, we call it the pâté of the South, and we're not joking. Good pimento cheese balances sharp cheddar against creamy mayonnaise, with just enough cayenne to remind you where you are. Make it yourself. The store-bought stuff doesn't come close.

When these two meet on hot buttered bread, the tasso releases its smoky perfume, the cheese goes soft and stretchy, and every bite hits you with that one-two punch of spice and richness. That's the bayou way.