The Ultimate BLT Sandwich

One of my all-time favorite sandwiches is the BLT – a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich on toasted white bread with a healthy amount of mayo. I could easily eat three or more of these in one sitting! But how do you improve on the classic? Just take inspiration from one of the most innovative chefs in the country and adapt to make it your own – I call it the Bacon, Lettuce, and Beefsteak Tomato (BLBT) sandwich!

Jose’ Andres is one of my favorite chefs, not only because of his creative cuisine but also because he’s a great humanitarian with many charities and efforts to use food to help those in need. When my wife Laurie and I lived in the Washington DC metro area we were regulars at a number of his restaurants – two of our favorites were minibar, an avant-garde, small plates “food lab” restaurant and Jaleo, a Spanish tapas restaurant. He had a number of others we never got around to visiting, including one called Beefsteak, a vegetarian restaurant. One of the most popular items on the menu there is a beefsteak tomato sandwich. Andres’ latest cookbook, Vegetables Unleashed (by Jose’ Andres & Matt Goulding, 2019 Harper Collins) has the recipe for this sandwich.

Recently Laurie and I tested out the recipe and it was awesome. But as we were eating the sandwich, we both commented how it would be even better with bacon (because everything is better with bacon, right?!). So, I went to work adapting his recipe to turn a beefsteak tomato sandwich into a bacon, lettuce, and beefsteak tomato sandwich. I switched out the alfalfa sprouts for bibb lettuce, the herb mayonnaise for a quick ranch dressing mayonnaise, added a lot of bacon, kept the avocado and pickled onions, and put it all on a hearty pretzel roll that would stand up to the mess within!

It was awesome! The key was to keep the tomato front and center as the focus of the sandwich instead of just one of many equal components. That meant looking for the freshest and biggest beefsteak tomatoes we could find and slicing them nice and thick to make them the star of the show. Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think!

Bacon, Lettuce, and Beefsteak Tomato (BLBT) Sandwich (serves 4)

This alternative take on the classic bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich promises to be on your regular rotation once you try it! Serve with a cup of tomato soup along with a glass of nice rose wine such as Miraval Cotes de Provence Rosé or Bonny Doon Vin Gris de Cigare Rosé (both available for less than $20).

Ingredients

1 small red onion, peeled, halved, and sliced thin

1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup water

3 tbsp. cider vinegar

1 tsp. sugar

1 cup good mayonnaise (such as Hellman’s or Duke’s)

½ packet Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning Mix

12 oz. thick sliced bacon, cooked in a pan over medium heat until golden brown but not crisp (we love Niman Ranch Applewood Smoked Bacon)

2 large beefsteak tomatoes, sliced ¾ inch thick and lightly salted with Kosher salt

1 small head bibb lettuce, leaves separated, rinsed, and dried

1 large Hass avocado, halved, pitted, peeled and sliced thin

4 pretzel buns

4 tbsp. salted butter

Directions

Make the pickled onions

Heat olive oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add the red onion and sauté for 8-10 minutes, until they start to brown. Remove from pan, place in a heatproof small bowl and set aside.

Combine the water, cider vinegar, sugar, and a pinch of kosher salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar and salt. Remove from heat and pour over the sauteed onions. Let stand for 30 min to 1 hour.

Make the ranch mayonnaise

Combine the mayonnaise and ½ packet of the seasoning together in a small bowl – set aside.

Build the sandwiches

Set the oven to broil. Slice the pretzel buns in half and butter each side. Place in the oven and toast the buns buttered side up until golden brown.

Spread the mayonnaise on both sides of the bun. Top with slices of avocado, tomato slice, 2 ½ to 3 slices of bacon, lettuce, and pickled onions.