Friday

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!

9 comments:

  1. Thank you for that great tip for slicing tomatoes, Mary! It's lunch time and your BLTs are making me drool. Have you ever tried adding some sliced avocado to your BLTs for a BLAT or BALT ;)

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  2. This was my mom's favorite sandwich and I cannot see one w/out seeing her say "C'est si bon!"

    Yours would have been a delight for her.

    Monique

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  3. Oh my gosh, these are perfect! I love Helman's too. I'm just waiting waiting waiting for a ripe tomato from my garden.

    By the way, I now do bacon in the microwave. It comes out crispy and perfect every time. Less than three minutes usually. You can lay them on paper towels on a plate or get one of those plastic drip pan things for bacon.

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  4. Man that looks yummy...
    Did you know that August was sandwhich month? I read that on the internet so it must be true :-)

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  5. Hi Susan, Yes! That is one of my favorite combinations. Soo good!

    Monique, How sweet that it was your mother's favorite. From now on that will make them more special to me, too.

    Hi Greg! It's terrific to see you here. I'll have to try again with microwaved bacon, I never seem to get it right when I do it that way. It sure would beat turning on the radiant oven.

    msj, How FUN! I had no idea that it is sandwich month. I better have sandwiches for dinner again before the month is over. :)

    Thanks everyone for stopping by!

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  6. oh simple and perfect! thanks for all the bonus tips too on cutting and baking~

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  7. Wow, perfect! We've just mentioned making BLTs (now I have plenty of tomatoes!). Thanks for your tips. Great one about slicing the tomatoes!

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  8. Those BLT's look FANTASTIC, Mary! Way to go with the HELLMANS (BEST) and I have to try grilling, your bread look delicious, i always end up with white toast, but I have to change now, yours looks out of this world! I have a craving!

    Have to try a BLAT, Susan, big avocado fans in this house! Thanks :)

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  9. No toms for me, but I love how good you sand looks. I do like bacon, lettuce and of course Hellman's!
    Kathleen

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Thank you for your comments, friends ~ they make my day!

A Sampling of my food . . .

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