When you have good smoked cheese and not much else, heat it until it melts into a rich, salty pool and eat it with bread. The smoke comes through when the cheese gets warm, and this shelf has given us exactly what we need for a night when cooking feels like too much.

Serves 2. 15 minutes, 5 at the stove.

About 400 calories a serving, 23 g protein, 9 g carbohydrate, 31 g fat. From USDA figures for 100% of the ingredients; amounts are the recipe's.

Cook mode

1. Slice the provolone into 1/4 inch [6 mm] thick pieces.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a cast iron skillet or heavy pan over medium heat until a haze forms. Lay the cheese slices in the pan without overlapping and let them sit until the bottoms are golden and start to run, about 3 minutes, then flip each slice and cook the other side until melted through, about 2 more minutes.5 min
3. Scrape the melted cheese onto a plate, season with salt and pepper, and serve at once with thick slices of crusty bread torn into pieces for dipping.

Note Swap cheddar or any semi-firm cheese if you don't have this smoked provolone. Leftovers keep one day in the fridge and reheat in the skillet. Pair with a simple green salad or roasted vegetables on the side if you want something besides bread.