While planning this tasty twist on the grilled cheese sandwich, I discovered something handy at my local Kroger.

The sandwich called for sharp cheddar and gouda. When I think “gouda,” I think wheelbarrow-sized hunk of cheese wrapped in red rind. In my quiet little house, we’d never finish that up. You have to outrace the decay to which cheese is prone. We can’t even do that on a cake-sized wedge.

But in a corner of my store’s gourmet cheese case, I found a basket of assorted flavors, cut into trial-sized chunks. (Smart shoppers such as yourself probably already know about this.) No gouda there, but hey, why not some asiago? It sure tastes good when Panera adds it to a bagel.

I’m here to report that it tasted great, sprinkled into this fine Friday-night sandwich.

The crispy brown marks on the bread come from a combo of mayonnaise and grated Parmesan. And I’m sorry you can’t see the bacon hiding in all that cheese. But if you try this sandwich, you will definitely taste it.

That’s what counts, right?