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Bacon, Lettuce, and Fried Green Tomato Sandwiches

Source of Recipe

From "One-Hour Comfort" by America's Test Kitchen


Recipe Introduction

"This is no ordinary BLT. It's a BLFGT. The fried green tomatoes steal the show, so good that they could stand alone: crunchy, crispy, sweet-tart slices. Though cornmeal is the traditional breading, this version uses unfailingly crunchy panko bread crumbs. Sprinkling salt and sugar on the slices drains excess moisture and intensifies the tomatoes' flavor before breading them twice, for double the crunch. The slices emerge golden and crispy from frying, ready for the BLT treatment: a soft brioche roll slathered with spicy mayo, piles of bacon, and shredded lettuce. Look for green tomatoes that are about 3 inches in diameter. Slice the tomatoes close to â…› inch thick if possible, but as long as they're less than ¼ inch thick they will work. Get the oil heating while the tomatoes are draining."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 3 green tomatoes
â—¦ 1 tablespoon sugar
â—¦ 1 ½ teaspoons salt, divided
â—¦ ½ cup mayonnaise
â—¦ 2 teaspoons hot sauce
â—¦ 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
â—¦ 1 ½ cups panko bread crumbs
â—¦ 1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
â—¦ 4 large eggs
â—¦ 1 ½ cups vegetable oil for frying
â—¦ 4 large brioche sandwich rolls, split and toasted
â—¦ 12 slices cooked bacon, halved
â—¦ 2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce


Recipe

Core tomatoes and cut off rounded top and bottom. Slice tomatoes into twelve â…›- to ¼-inch thick slices (you may have some left over). Line rimmed baking sheet with triple layer of paper towels. Place tomatoes on prepared sheet and sprinkle both sides with sugar and 1 teaspoon salt. Cover tomatoes with triple layer of paper towels and let sit for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk mayonnaise and hot sauce together in bowl; set aside. Whisk flour, panko, Old Bay, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt together in large bowl. Beat eggs together in shallow dish. Remove top layer of paper towels from tomatoes. Transfer tomatoes to flour mixture and toss to coat.

Remove remaining paper towels from sheet and wipe sheet dry. Return tomatoes to now-empty sheet. Working with one slice at a time, dip tomatoes in egg, allowing excess to drip off, and return to flour mixture, pressing firmly so coating adheres. Return tomatoes to sheet.

Line large plate with triple layer of paper towels. Add oil to 12-inch nonstick skillet and heat over medium-high heat to 350 degrees. Fry half of tomatoes until golden and crispy, about 2 minutes per side, reducing heat as needed if oil gets too hot. Using tongs, transfer fried tomatoes to prepared plate. Return oil to 350 degrees and repeat with remaining tomatoes.

Spread 1 tablespoon mayonnaise mixture on each roll bottom, then follow with 6 half-slices bacon and 3 fried tomatoes, overlapping slightly in center. Toss lettuce with remaining ¼ cup mayonnaise mixture in bowl and divide evenly among sandwiches. Cover with roll tops and serve.

Serves 4