Kentucky Hot Brown with Slow Roasted Tomatoes

The Kentucky Hot Brown is a legendary sandwich created at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky. In general, I'm not a fan of history, but I do enjoy food history. Here's the story I got from the Brown Hotel's website...
The History of The Brown Hotel's "Hot Brown"

With so much to boast - award-winning dining, breathtaking turn-of-the-century architecture, and attentive, caring service - some may wonder, "Why the Hot Brown?" Here is the history behind this now legendary dish…

In the 1920's, The Brown Hotel drew over 1,200 guests each evening for its dinner dance. In the wee hours of the morning, the guests would grow tired of dancing and retire to the restaurant for a bite to eat. Diners were growing rapidly bored with the traditional ham and eggs, so Chef Fred Schmidt set out to create something new to tempt his guests' palates. His unique creation was an open-faced turkey sandwich with bacon and a delicate Mornay sauce. Exemplifying our unending dedication to serving our guests, The Hot Brown was born!

And now The Hot Brown - a Louisville tradition with worldwide appeal - has been featured in Southern Living Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, NBC's Today Show, The Wall Street Journal, as well as being included as a regular entry in many of the finest cookbooks.

What prompted me to make my own is our Kroger now carries bourbon-basted chicken deli meat.  I'm not a turkey sandwich person at all.  But chicken is becoming much more popular as deli meat, and I just like the taste better.   And the bourbon-basted chicken is quite tasty.  So, here's my version of the Kentucky Hot Brown, which includes the fabulous Ina Garten's (Barefoot Contessa) recipe for slow-roasted tomatoes -- they are truly to die for!

Kentucky Hot Brown

8 slices good sandwich bread

butter

1 pound Kroger Private Selection bourbon chicken, sliced thin, from the deli counter

8 slices bacon, cooked crisp

roasted tomato slices (about 3 per sandwich) - recipe follows

White Cheddar Cheese Sauce - recipe follows

To make the sauce, heat 2 T. butter in a small saucepan over medium high heat.  Once melted, whisk in 2 T. flour and cook for about 1 minute.  Slowly whisk in about 1 c. of milk.  Stirring often, bring almost to a boil.  Reduce heat and stir until thickened.  Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper and stir in 1 c. of shredded very sharp cheddar cheese.  Keep covered until ready to use.

To make the sandwiches, heat a griddle to medium-high heat.  Butter one side of each slice of bread.  Place 4 slices of bread, buttered side down, on hot griddle.  Layer each sandwich with 1/4 pound sliced chicken, 2 slices of bacon and about 3 slices of roasted roma tomatoes.  Place another slice of buttered bread on top to finish each of the four sandwiches.  Grill till golden brown on both sides.  To serve, cut in half and ladel a generous amount of the cheese sauce over each sandwich.

Slow Roasted Tomatoes - Ina Garten's Recipe 

6 Roma tomatoes, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
4 tablespoons good olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.
Arrange the tomatoes on a sheet pan, in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle the sugar, salt, and pepper over the tomatoes. Roast for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the tomatoes are concentrated and beginning to caramelize. Serve warm or at room temperature.

The tomatoes can be made several days in advance, stored covered in the fridge, then brought to room temperature before using.