B, L and Fried Green T Sandwich

This recipe for B, L, and Fried Green T's is honestly more about the T's than it is about the B. It's a delicious twist on a classic sandwich.

Did you know that August is bacon month? Actually, I think most people think bacon month lasts all year long, January - December, and I suppose that's true for most, but in all actuality, it's really only August. Sorry folks, but the good news is, you don't need a particular reason or month to enjoy bacon, you can enjoy it whenever you wish. God bless America!

When was the last time you had a sandwich that was so good that you never wanted it to end? Mine was just the other night when I made these B, L, and Fried Green T Sandwiches for dinner. We have a pretty decent-sized garden this year but instead of planting big, beefsteak tomatoes, my husband planted some called early girl that, quite frankly, were far too small to consider making fried green tomatoes with them.

Luckily for me, my parents live close to where we live so when I got the idea to make these sandwiches, I drove over and snatched some large green tomatoes off my mom's plants (don't worry, I got her approval first. lol) as I walked out the door after our morning visit. I drove home excitedly thinking about these sandwiches the whole way home, hoping they'd be good as I thought they might be.

Guess what? They weren't just good...they were wonderful! Thanks for the green tomatoes, mom. Can I make you a sandwich?

B, L and FRIED GREEN T SANDWICH {PRINT THIS RECIPE}
Yield: 6 Sandwiches     Prep Time: 30 minutes (including assembly)

For the sandwich:
12 pieces of oatmeal bread, toasted (or your favorite bread)
12 fried green tomato slices (recipe follows)
18 slices, thick-cut bacon, cooked
assorted baby lettuce leaves (or lettuce of your choice)
chipotle mayonnaise (recipe follows)

-Assemble each sandwich with 3 slices of bacon, and, two fried green tomatoes, lettuce, and a slathering of chipotle mayonnaise for each sandwich.


OVEN COOKED BACON
-To cook the bacon, preheat the oven to 375 degrees and lay the uncooked bacon onto a baking sheet that has been fitted with a baking rack, trying not to overlap the slices. Sprinkle each slice with a pinch of pepper.
-Bake in a preheated oven for approximately 15-20 minutes or until it's done to your desired crispness.
-Set aside until ready to assemble the sandwiches.
-While the bacon cooks, prepare and cook the Fried Green Tomatoes


FRIED GREEN TOMATOES
3-4 medium to large green tomatoes sliced to ½" thickness, lightly seasoned with salt and pepper
½ cup Greek yogurt
1 large egg
4 tablespoons water
¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 ½ cups seasoned bread crumbs
1 cup panko (I used whole wheat)
canola oil for pan-frying

-In a shallow dish or bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt, egg and water.
-In a second shallow dish, stir together the flour, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
-In a third shallow dish, stir together the seasoned bread crumbs and panko
-Dredge each tomato slice in the flour (both sides) and shake off the excess, then into the Greek yogurt, and then into the bread crumbs, pressing to adhere the crumbs to the tomato.
-Set the coated slices onto a baking rack and allow them to sit for at least 20 minutes before frying.
-Add approximately 2 tablespoons of oil to a large skillet over medium/high heat and fry the tomato slices on both sides until deeply golden brown. Remove to a baking sheet fitted with a baking rack.
-Continue the same process with the remaining tomato slices.
-Set aside until you are ready to assemble the sandwiches.

CHIPOTLE MAYONNAISE
1 cup mayonnaise
3-4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped

-In a small bowl, whisk together the peppers and mayonnaise until creamy.

Here are a few photos of the step-by-step process involved in cooking and in putting together these amazing sandwiches:

I like to line the baking sheet with aluminum foil to help make cooking the bacon in the oven even easier because the clean-up is easy, and breezy that way.

Coating the slices of tomato is easy. Just remember to use one hand for the wet ingredients, and one hand for the dry ingredients or else you'll end up with club fingers. Don't know what I mean by that? Try using one hand for both the wet and the dry ingredients and you'll soon find out what club fingers are. LOL It's not a requirement, but it's a lot cleaner if you use two separate hands for the breading process.

Working in batches, fry the tomatoes on both sides in canola oil until golden brown.

Lastly, whisk up the chipotle mayonnaise and then assemble the sandwiches using your favorite kind of toast, and slathering the mayonnaise on as heavily as you like 🙂

YUM! There is just something about a great sandwich that hits the spot as nothing else can. Don't you agree? Hopefully, you do because I have others that I think you'll also enjoy. Check out the following for:

Prosciutto, Melon and Provolone Grilled Cheese:

Southwestern Turkey and Chicken Panini:

and lastly, but certainly not least...

Pretzel Pockets Stuffed with Ham and Asiago: