The Best BLT, Heirloom Tomatoes on a Toasted Olive Oil Bread with Thick Cut Pasture Bacon

 

It was the height of tomato season in August. My husband Robert sent me a text suggesting BLT for dinner. I thought, how will I make the best possible Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato sandwich? It all starts with the bread. The bread I selected is an Olive Oil Bread, which reminds me of the bread my Hungarian grandmother would make. It had to be toasted slightly to crisp it up a tad, preventing it from getting crumbly. High-quality Mayonnaise must hold everything together on the bread's top and bottom sides. The lettuce needed to have an added crunch, not watery, and cut into small pieces to allow it to be spread evenly over the sandwich. Then, the ultimate Heirloom tomato needed to be cut thick, adding freshness and juice like a steak. The bacon we used is the best. It is thick cut, pasture pork, and cooked crisp to perfection. Wow, this was the best BLT we had in our lives.

I served the sandwich with blistered shishito peppers cooked in bacon grease, a pickle spear, and an additional slice of tomato.

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Ingredients 

• 4 Slices of bread cut 3/4" thick
• 4 Tablespoons mayonnaise
• Head of romaine lettuce cut into 1/2" pieces
• 2 Heirloom tomatoes cut into 1/2" pieces
• 12 oz Bacon thick cut, we used pasture-raised pork
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation - 5 minutes Cook Time - 10 minutes Serving 2

1. Start by cooking your bacon until it is crisp. Once cooked, place it on paper towels to cool down.
2. Cut your loaf of bread into 3/4" slices. Lightly brush your griddle or sauté pan with olive oil and toast your bread on both sides. Watch carefully not to overcook it.
3. Spread about a tablespoon of mayonnaise on every slice of bread. Arrange the bread slices on your plates with the mayonnaise side up. Place two slices per plate and cover one side with chopped romaine lettuce.
4. Salt and pepper your tomatoes, then add them to the lettuce.
5. Pile your bacon on the second piece of bread and fold the bread pieces together to create a sandwich. Cut the sandwich in half and enjoy your delicious meal!

To blister the shishito peppers, heat the bacon grease and toss the peppers in whole. Cook them for approximately three minutes on both sides. Then, place on a plate to cool or serve warm.