You want to know how to make the best BLT ever? Well, making a kick-ass BLT takes effort. Not a lot of skill, but patiences, smarts and good sense. You have to plan ahead.
The first sensible thing to do is to plant some delicious tomatoes. In May. They will grow. Sprout green fruit. Mature. Come about mid-August, you can start harvesting. This year, our favorite heirloom was the brandwine. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm.
The next step is to order Benton’s Bacon. For those of you who don’t already know SCF’s obsession with this purveyor, take a gander at our visit to the smokehouse in 2011.
After that, you need to find some good bread. We’ve had the good fortune to have Bien Cuit, a bakery from Brooklyn, make its way to the Nyack Farmers Market each Thursday. We buy a loaf of Miche, sort of like a sourdough.
You’re nearly there now. Just scare up some mayonnaise (Hellman’s, of course, unless you make it yourself) and some iceberg. We prefer fresh from the farmers market, but even the grocery store kind will do.
OK, now. A recipe.
[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:64]
The Best BLTs
1 pound Benton’s Bacon
1 loaf Bien Cuit Miche (or any artisan sourdough)
2 large, ripe, juicy tomatoes (we loved Brandwine this year)
1 head iceberg lettuce, locally grown
A handsome portion of mayonnaise
Preheat the oven to 450. Place a rack inside a sheet pan and spread the bacon on top of the rack. Bake for 20 minutes. No need to turn the bacon. Remove the pan very, very carefully. There will be hot bacon grease in it.
Meanwhile, slice the tomato and salt it. Let it sit while you do the rest.
Slice the bread into 1/3 to 1/2-inch slices. Toast it. Spread both sides with a generous amount of mayonnaise.
Layer the sandwich like this: Tomato on one side, lettuce on the other, bacon in the center. Two to three slices per sandwich.
Place the sandwich on the cutting board and press down on it with your open palm. Then slice it in half.
Place the two halves on a plate and serve with potato chips. We like salt and vinegar.
Serves 4 to 6.
