Bacon everything! At the spear end of the bacon fad is the BLT Sandwich. Bacon seems to return every few years as a popular ingredient. It does go back a way as a sandwich ingredient that really came into its own when G.I.'s returned from WWII.
BLT means Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato Sandwich in the restaurant world and the public soon adopted it, too. I remember making them with leftover bacon from breakfast.
What's so great about the sandwich is how simple it is. Just fry or bake up a few slices of bacon, toast some bread, and slide the bacon between two slices smeared with mayo, and add sliced tomato and lettuce. It's a crunchy first bite.
I jumped back into the BLT game when I saw Hickory Smoked Uncured Turkey Bacon by Applegate Naturals at my local 99c only Store last year. I jumped on that deal big time and bought five packages to freeze. I haven't seen this Bacon again there, that's why you have to buy a good deal when you first see it because they will not be there for long!
Right away I made a Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato Sandwich. Simply delicious. While pork bacon is the gold standard, this uncured turkey bacon hit the spot. It is a lighter and meatier sandwich without the thick veins of pork fat of regular bacon. The smokey flavor is still there, and I didn't miss the porkiness.
Turkey Bacon does not have the crispness of cooked bacon, the texture is closer to fried thin slices of ham. But the Turkey Bacon BLT still rules.
Small 4-slice packages of real Bacon still show up at my local Dollar Tree. And 4 slices are just enough for a sandwich or two.
Lettuce and tomato are affordable. I even find small jars of mayo cheaply.
Make a BLT with any favorite bread. Of course, I get mine from the day-old bargain bin at my local supermarket, Ralphs. White, wheat, sourdough, or rye...go for it.
A BLT is constructed with toasted bread. I used a popup toaster so both sides of each slice are crunchy.
I usually fry my Bacon slices, but you can bake them as well. I learned to bake bacon at a lower temperature, about 325 degrees or less, so the bacon grease doesn't get all over the place (you could loosely cover the bacon with parchment paper, too.)
How do you assemble your BLT? Is Bacon on the bottom or top? How about 2 slices of bacon on top and 2 slices on the bottom. Any way you stack it will work!
My video recipe is just a reminder for you about how tasty a BLT Sandwich is - go ahead and revisit a real American Diner classic, and don't forget the Campbell Tomato Soup...from the can (they are now low in sodium.)
BLT Sandwich - VIDEO Play it here, video runs 2 minutes, 36 seconds.
My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.
Ingredients (one sandwich)
- Bacon - 2 to 3 slices. Enough to cover a slice of bread. Regular bacon or any favorite substitute.
- Bread - 2 slices. Any type you like. I toast mine.
- Lettuce - a leaf of lettuce, just large enough to cover the bread. Okay to shred or chop lettuce.
- Tomato - a couple of slices, depending on the size of the tomato. Enough to cover a slice of bread. Okay to use sliced cherry tomatoes.
- Mayonnaise - Apply on the inside of one or both slices of bread.
Directions
Start by frying or baking bacon slices. If you are using a substitute like Turkey Bacon then add a teaspoon of oil to a frying pan so Turkey Bacon does not stick to the pan.
Fry bacon until crisp on both sides. Usually takes about 5 minutes in total.
As bacon cooks, slice tomato and wash lettuce leaf if necessary. Pat dry or shake off excess water from the cleaned lettuce leaf.
You can toast the bread just before the bacon is done cooking. Toast bread slices as browned as you like.
To assemble BLT, just smear mayo on toast on one or both slices.
Stack lettuce, tomato, and cooked bacon in any order you like.
2 comments:
I was wondering if you had any reaction to the closure of the 99 Cent Only empire. We have Dollar Tree/Family Dollar, Dollar General, Big Lots and Ollie’s Outlet here in the southeast.
We also have Dollar Tree and Dollar General, but not as many as 99c only Stores. Mainly, I will miss all the photo shots with 99c tags as they serve my theme so well. They also stocked fresh produce, so I will miss that.
I feel bad for all those on a tight budget who will be forced to shop in more expensive stores. Of course, there are 99c deals to be had at regular grocery stores. I'm not turning in my stylus and keypad yet!!
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