The Reggie Watts Cheese Toastie

Taking in a Reggie Watts show, is a live experience, like no other. To begin with, there’s his beatboxing, of which he is an undeniable master of. Then there are the singing skills, where his diverse musical backgrounds allow him to flip from one style to the next with a magical ease. And of course, you also have to remember that he’s a wild and brilliant comic with a completely unique, stream of consciousness improv style. No two shows are ever the same. No show is ever without its many, many surprises.

This one of a kind approach to live entertainment has earned him legions of fans the world over. Conan O’Brien is one and he had this to say of him, “he may be the only person in the business with hair more shocking than mine.” Not only has he been a regular guest on his TV show but Reggie has also performed on every gig of the recent live comedy tour Conan staged around the US. Since then, there has been a dizzying array of work for him that’s taken in Comedy Central programmes, tours in Canada and Europe and a new 10 part show on The Independent Film Channel.

So what does the tee totalling workaholic musical comedian do in the few bits of downtime he allows himself? Well to start off with, he loves to indulge in some of the food that his mother French mother made for him as a child like pates, terrines and gruyere packed onion soup. But his own killer dish, is the humble cheese toastie. As you would expect from Mr. Watts, this is not your average run of the mill pub sarnie. Like everything else he does, he takes it to a whole new level.

THE REGGIE WATTS CHEESE TOASTIE

INGREDIENTS, MAKES 2:

4 Slices of multi grain brown bread

4 sandwich sized slices of mature cheddar cheese

1 chicken fillet

3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

5 – 6 fresh tarragon leaves

1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon of finely chopped chives

White pepper and sea salt to season

METHOD:

Mix 2 tablespoons of the olive oil with the lemon juice and a little salt and pepper in a cup. Tear the tarragon leaves roughly and combine them with the oil. Smear this all over the chicken and allow it to marinade for at least an hour.

Cook the chicken on a dry griddle pan, until there is a nice char on it and the centre is done. Let it rest for 15 minutes so that the juices go back into the meat.

Heat a flat frying pan with the remaining olive oil at a medium level. Place the inside of each slice of bread, with a slice of cheese and sprinkle on a little of the chive and some seasoning. Then cut the chicken as thinly as you can and place it on top of the cheese. Make your sandwiches and slide them onto the pan. Cook each side until it’s golden brown.

I would greatly advise you to check out Reggie Watts on Saturday January 21st in Whelan’s. It should be an outstanding gig.

This piece is also available in today’s issue of The Ticket in The Irish Times.