The Hot Brown Sandwich is one of Louisville’s most famous dishes—and perfect for a Derby Day celebration. It was created in the 1920s in the Brown Hotel. These were the days of dinner and dancing, and the Brown Hotel would host more than 1,200 guests every evening. As the night would turn to the early morning, guests would tend to get the munchies. They traded in hors d’oeuvres and cocktails for good, hot, stick-to-your-ribs food. The chef at the Brown Hotel, wanting to serve something other than just ham and eggs, came up with the decadent combination of béchamel sauce, turkey, tomato slices, bacon and cheese all on toasty bread.
In the May 2017 issue of 225, recipe writer Tracey Koch came up with a slider version of the Hot Brown Sandwich, along with several other Derby Day treats that are perfect to pass around to guests or just to serve up for your family on a lazy weekend.