Spicy Smashed Avocado & Asparagus with Dill Havarti Grilled Cheese

Roasted asparagus and spicy smashed avocado are fun additions to this grilled cheese, that features a dill-flavored havarti and seedy whole wheat bread. Why the heck do I always feel the need to stack sandwiches? Call me a dare devil (or maybe not) but maybe it’s just a bit more fun when I can challenge myself to a game of Jenga with a fantastically good, hot, melted sandwich. See what one resorts to when one works alone? Please send someone if I start calling my sandwiches Wilson. Since the first year that I started la bloggity blog, the flip of the calendar page to the month of April (make that the swipe of the screen on your iPhone if you’re living in 2015) promises an event of epic proportions. Towering proportions even. An event that not even spring showers, cotton tails or bunny trails can top. Or topple over. It’s NATIONAL GRILLED CHEESE MONTH! Every April for the past 3 years I’ve shared the crusty crumbs and gooey secrets for grilled cheese sandwich recipes to set your melty desires afire. Literally, a fire. You bet, in making all these grilled cheese I’ve burned more than one side of bread to a more than crispy brown and juuuuuust maybe said a few naughty words in the process. Maybe. Sweet, savory, smoky and spicy, you can find my recipes in various stages of toppling over upon themselves right here. This year I’m partnering with one of my favorite cheese makers, Wisconsin’s Arla Dofino, and have created three recipes I’ll be sharing with you that feature three of my favorite, meltable cheeses: Dill Havarti, Creamy Havarti and Smoked Gouda. First to get us out the grilled cheese gate is this Spicy Smashed Avocado & Asparagus with Dill Havarti Grilled Cheese. It’s a mouthful to say. And literally, one of my favorite mouthfuls to eat.

Smile and Say Cheese!

Some cooks think cheddar is the standard for grilled cheese sandwiches. But harder cheeses like cheddar take longer to melt. Longer cooking times means more chance of burning. We all know what that tastes like. Softer cheeses like the mellower Havarti are better at the job. This buttery cheese is creamy and melts incredibly well. Judge for yourself with my Sweet Pear and Rosemary Honey with Havarti Grilled Cheese, Crab and Avocado Grilled Cheese and my Raspberry and Chocolate with Almonds Grilled Cheese. I’ve purchased Arla Dofino’s Havarti Slices at Costco for years. It’s a Wisconsin cheese and wears the badge proudly in representing quality cheese-making with natural ingredients. No added hormones or preservatives yet it still lasts plenty long enough for our family of three to make it through the Costco size double pack well before it could think of going bad. I think it’s pretty impressive Arla Dofino cares for their product enough to package it for Costco just like the deli counter at my regular grocery store does, with paper dividing the delicate slices so they don’t stick to one another. Like everything, it’s all in the details.

About the Recipe

I chose Arla Dofino’s Dill Havarti Slices for this sandwich because the dill fits in with my seasonal theme and lent an incredible flavor to the sandwich. Far more than I expected. Plus, the thin slices are the perfect thickness for maximum meltability. I roasted asparagus especially for making this recipe, but my more likely scenario is I’ll roast extra at dinner the night before, then use the leftovers for the sandwich the next day. I tested trimming the stalks of the asparagus before roasting versus not trimming, and honestly, trimming was a waste of time. Broiling these babies will simply melt away any toughness you may encounter. Don’t skip the last step of a squeeze of lemon. It adds a brightness to the sandwich that would be sorely missed. For the bread I wanted one that had a bit more texture to offset the smooth fillings. I chose an organic, super nutty whole wheat bread from Eureka! Baking Company with seeds and oats that are so pretty to photograph. And even better to eat. I am totally digging this bread for more than just this sandwich. It’s definitely getting topped with scrambled eggs. Oh, avvvvoooocado, how I love you. I’ve spiced it up with a pinch of cayenne and mashed it up with a fork so each bite is smooth and creamy and goes with each nutty bread bite. If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats. And…we all. topple. down. It was only a matter of time.

If You Love Grilled Cheese as Much as I do, You’ll Love These:

• French Onion Grilled Cheese Sandwich
• Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese Sandwich
• Crab and Avocado Grilled Cheese Sandwich
• Kennebunkport Lobster Grilled Cheese
• Chorizo and Peppadew Pepper Grilled Cheese
• Garlicky Avocado Grilled Cheese with Tomato Pesto
• Parmesan Crusted Fondue Grilled Cheese
• Fried Green Tomatoes Grilled Cheese Sandwich

This post is part of series of partnered posts with Arla Dofino to celebrate Grilled Cheese Month.  We send good emails. Subscribe to FoodieCrush and have each post plus exclusive content only for our subscribers delivered straight to your e-mail box. Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest for more FoodieCrush inspiration. As always, thank you for reading and supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. There may be affiliate links in this post of which I receive a small commission. All opinions are always my own.