Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato Sandwiches

These are a favorite in the summertime when home grown tomatoes are at their sweetest.

I imagine everyone has their favorite way of making them, I like to vary the type of bread and lettuces. The bread this time was hand sliced Italian Herb bread and the lettuce was iceberg because that's what I had in the house.

Instead of toasting I grilled the bread on the stovetop grill:

There are a couple of things that remain the same though.

The way I slice the tomatoes~

For sandwiches if you slice them from stem end, vertically to the bottom, the tomato slices will retain most of their seeds, making a less sloppy sandwich. I learned the tip from a British cook at a tea room several years ago, and it works!

And the bacon ~

I haven't fried bacon strips on the stovetop in years; I bake it on a rack in a preheated oven, it bakes evenly on both sides at once.

It cooks more evenly this way, no need to turn it over, either. There is less shrinkage, it stays nice and flat, it's less greasy and there is no splatter to clean up.

Simply bake at 350 degrees (F) for about 20 to 25 minutes, until it is a crisp as you like. Keep watch over it after about 15 minutes of baking, checking each few minutes.

Another element of the perfect BLT ~ I could never make a BLT without my favorite mayonnaise !

Known as Hellmann's® East of the Rockies in the U.S.

Don't Skimp...

I like to spread it on each piece of grilled bread (thickly!)

Then layer the ingredients the way you prefer. I usually put the bacon on the bottom, the sliced tomatoes next, (a little salt and pepper on the tomatoes), then top off with the lettuce.

That way the juicy tomatoes are sandwiched in and won't make the toast soggy.

For BLTs I always use sandwich picks to help keep the components from slipping and sliding, then I cut them on a sharp diagonal. They seem to be easier to bite into that way.

One other thing that I always do ~

Make PLENTY!