Fried Green Tomato BLT

Recipe by Brittany Lindsey

INGREDIENTS:
•  3 large green tomatoes

•  1 large head of red-leaf lettuce (we get ours from Terrapin Farms in Berlin)

•  1 lb thick-cut bacon (we get ours from the Ocean Pines Farmers Market)

•  2 eggs

•  2 oz goat cheese

•  4 Tbsp butter

•  5–7 basil leaves, finely minced

•  ½ cup mayonnaise

•  8 slices of thick-cut whole-grain or whole-wheat bread

•  1 cup yellow cornmeal

•  ½ cup flour

•  1½ tsp of kosher salt

•  ½ tsp of black pepper

•  Olive oil

tart by cooking up your bacon in your favorite way. I prefer on a sheet pan in a 425° oven (12–15 minutes). Then make the basil mayo, to give it some time to develop flavor, by taking mayo and adding in basil that has been chopped up finely. Stir to combine and set aside. Get your lettuce washed and dried and set that aside, as well as your goat cheese, so it has some time to soften.
In a small bowl, combine mayo and minced basil.

In a shallow dish, combine cornmeal, flour, 1 teaspoon of the salt and all the pepper. Stir to combine and set near stove. Crack eggs in a bowl, whisk well and set near stove. In a frying pan, add a few tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter and heat on medium-high. While that is heating up, slice green tomatoes into 1/4–1/2-inch slices. Once pan is heated, dip tomato slice in egg, then dredge in cornmeal flour mixture to coat. Add to pan carefully and fry in batches to avoid overcrowding. When the first side is golden-brown, turn over and finish second side. Off to the side of the stove, use paper towels on a plate to absorb any excess oil and sprinkle sparingly with kosher salt while still hot. Continue this until all tomatoes have been fried.

Finally, build the sandwich by toasting slices of wheat bread, spreading with softened local goat cheese, basil-mayo, top with slices of bacon and a few pieces of crisp red-leaf lettuce. Finally, nestle 2–3 slices of fried green tomato on and top with your second slice of toast and cut in half. Repeat for the other sandwiches. Can be served hot or at room temperature.

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