Uitsmijter is a Dutch open-faced sandwich which is perfect for breakfast, lunch, or as a late night meal. It's easy to make, uses only a few basic ingredients, is utterly satisfying, and only takes about 5 minutes to assemble.
Uitsmijter (pronounced out-smiter), is a Dutch open-faced ham, cheese, and egg sandwich. The name translates to “bouncer” or “doorman” and basically means to “forcefully throw out.”
These sandwiches were the typical fare for late night meals after a night of excess either right before getting kicked out at closing time or right after getting home from the bar or club.
Unsurprisingly, uitsmijter is a fantastic and popular breakfast dish that isn’t solely delegated to midnight status. It’s eaten with a knife and fork typically on its own at breakfast time, but could be paired with a small salad at lunch.
The flavors and textures remind me very loosely of eggs Benedict. The toasted bready base, ham, and egg with runny yolk are all similar. In this case, of course, there's cheese added and no Hollandaise.
Uitsmijter is basically the Dutch equivalent of the German Strammer Max, which features cured instead of baked ham, and typically isn’t topped with cheese (though it can be in some variations).
Ingredient notes
- Bread: Use a bakery-style white bread as opposed to a soft sandwich bread. I used Tuscan pane for my uitsmijter, which I lightly toasted before buttering.
- Ham: I used Boar's Head Black Forest ham for my sandwich, and it was delicious! You can use whichever baked (not cured) ham you like.
- Sliced Gouda Cheese: I prefer regular Gouda rather than smoked Gouda, which has a very strong flavor. Sliced Gouda may come in different shapes depending on the brand (circles, half ovals, squares, etc). Note that while some uitsmijter recipes may call for the cheese to be melted, this doesn’t appear to be traditional.
- Eggs: You can fry the eggs however you like: sunny-side up, over easy, over medium, etc. I usually cover the pan, lower the heat, and let it cook sunny-side up just until the whites at the edges of the yolks start to become opaque and set.
How to make it
If desired, lightly toast the bread, allow it to cool and then lightly butter one side. Set the buttered bread slices side by side on a plate so they are touching.
Top with the ham and cheese.
In a small nonstick frying pan over medium heat, melt butter and then add 2 eggs. Season with salt and pepper, and cook the eggs to your liking.
Slide the cooked eggs on top of your assembled sandwich.
Garnish the uitsmijter with chopped parsley or chopped chives, if desired, for some color.
Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
Expert tips
An uitsmijter is usually a substantial serving, containing 2 slices of bread side-by-side (not enclosed like a typical sandwich) and 2 eggs. If you have a smaller appetite, you could split this recipe into 2 smaller open-faced sandwiches to serve 2 people.
If you toast your bread like I do, make sure you only lightly toast them and don't dry them out too much. Otherwise it will be difficult to eat this open-faced sandwich, even with a really good, sharp knife to cut it.
Sliced tomatoes are sometimes included in the sandwich or on the side. Sliced pickles are also a welcome accompaniment on the side.
Other recipes you may like
- Strammer Max (German Open-Faced Ham Sandwich)
- World's Greatest Sandwich from Spanglish (BLT with Egg and Cheese)
- Galette Complète (Ham, Egg, and Cheese Buckwheat Crêpe)
- Crêpes Parmentier (Buckwheat Galettes with Potato)
- Ontbijtkoek (Dutch Breakfast Cake)
- Bitterballen (Dutch Fried Meatballs)
- Tompouce / Tompoes (Dutch Mille Feuille Pastry)
- Browse all Breakfast Recipes
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Uitsmijter (Dutch Ham, Gouda and Egg Sandwich)
Ingredients
- 2 slices white bakery-style bread (not smaller American-style sandwich bread)
- 1 teaspoon butter plus more to spread on bread
- 2 to 3 slices ham
- 2 to 3 slices gouda cheese
- 2 eggs
- Salt and pepper
- Chopped parsley or chives for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- If desired, lightly toast the bread, allow it to cool and then lightly butter one side. Set the buttered bread slices side by side on a plate so they are touching. Top with the ham and cheese.
- In a small nonstick frying pan over medium heat, melt the 1 teaspoon of butter and then add the eggs, seasoning with salt and pepper as desired. Cook the eggs to your liking. (I usually cover the pan, lower the heat, and let it cook sunny-side up just until the whites at the edges of the yolks start to become opaque and set).
- Slide the cooked eggs on top of your assembled sandwich. Garnish with chopped parsley or chopped chives, if desired, for some color.
Notes
- This is usually a substantial serving, containing 2 slices of bread side-by-side (not enclosed like a typical sandwich) and 2 eggs. If you have a smaller appetite, you could split this recipe into 2 smaller open-faced sandwiches to serve 2 people.
- If you toast your bread like I do, make sure you only lightly toast them and don't dry them out too much. Otherwise it will be difficult to eat this open-faced sandwich, even with a really good, sharp knife to cut it.
- Sliced tomatoes are sometimes included in the sandwich or on the side. Sliced pickles are also a welcome accompaniment on the side.
Nutrition
*All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.*
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