Brown sugar glazed balsamic bacon, tangy homegrown tomato, red butter lettuce, garden-fresh basil, goat cheese garlicky mayo on a grilled San Fran sourdough baguette. The big boy BLT, for any megamouth hungry ready for a real summertime sammie.
The description is a mouthful I know, and I wanted to title this the BBBLTBGM. Deprivation and confusion in my brain ensued as I was starving two minutes into developing this recipe on the fly. So, keeping it simple.
If you are a bacon aficionado, then you know the perks of not standing over a greasy sizzling pan of bacon and the pure luxury of baking in the oven. Why didn’t I know this earlier? My biggest peeve is the greasy cleanup of the stovetop. Now you have more time to prep this big bro of a BLT. I’m still digging my BBLTBGM name as that stirred up some squirrely looks from my taste testers. Deal people, I am the one in the kitchen cooking up your great lunch. Respect. (Fork drop.)
Two, no three, okay, four great things are happening here with this recipe. Giant basil leaves I have ever grown are flourishing experimentally on my Garden Tower right now. I have more basil growing the old fashion way (ya, know in dirt), but these leaves are HUGE and crazy good. Three to five inches of perfection. The second thing I scored a gorgeous loaf of sourdough bread from San Fran.
I couldn’t think of any other way but to pair that bad boy with some hearty homegrown tomatoes from the good old Midwest. My farmers market was open this morning, and I masked up to show my support. Tomatoes bigger than a softball screaming sweet juicy summer perfection.
Trifecta right here, and this is how we bring this bad boy home (to my mouth).
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The big boy BLT
Description
Brown sugar glazed balsamic bacon, tangy homegrown tomato, red butter lettuce, garden-fresh basil, goat cheese garlicky mayo on a grilled San Fran sourdough baguette. The big boy BLT, for any megamouth hungry for a real summertime sammie.
Ingredients
- 1 – 12-inch sourdough baguette
- 2 cups red butter lettuce or iceberg
- 1 supersize homegrown tomato
- 6–8 slices bacon
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons balsamic glaze
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons crumbled goat cheese
- 6 basil leaves, chopped
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Sea salt
- Black pepper
Instructions
Get your hands on some good uncured thick bacon. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. I find that it works better than foil, but both are good choices— lay 6-8 slices of bacon on the paper. Sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of brown sugar over bacon and add a few cranks of fresh cracked black pepper and bake bacon in a 400 degree F oven for 12-15 minutes.
While bacon is doing its thang, wash your lettuce and tomatoes, slice tomatoes thick and set aside. Grab about six basil leaves and chop roughly and place in a small mixing bowl.
Add two cloves of chopped garlic to the basil, three tablespoons of crumbled goat cheese, and 1/2 cup mayonnaise. Mix well and set aside.
Bacon’s smell should be filling the kitchen and ready. Remove from oven and drizzle balsamic glaze onto the bacon. Let rest.
Grab that baguette (any really will do), and YES we know ours is hefty, but that’s the big bad boy mojo we got going today, and we are all in. Take your bread and slice lengthwise and drizzle with a douse of olive oil. Sprinkle with some sea salt. Grill your bread for 20 seconds on the oiled side only.
Place bread onto a cutting board and start first with a generous slather of your basil goat cheese garlicky mayo. Then add your bacon layer, resist the temptation to lick the syrupy goodness. I know it’s hard- clean hands people. Stack those yummy tomato slices as high as you want. Waste not, want not, we say. Next up, the lettuce.
We were lucky to find red butter lettuce, but our typical choice would be iceberg lettuce. Seal the deal with the sammie lid. Be fair when you slice for sharing and open wide!
Summer is not over folks, just say’n. August is the bounty month of gardens. Go forth, and get some homegrown goodness from your garden, your farmer’s market, or steal from your neighbor. Only take to share, of course.
Notes
Our local favorite Olive Tree KC keeps us in check with the best balsamic vinegar!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3-4, maybe 5?
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