Elevated BLT
Simple technique changes — griddled mayo-coated bread, salted tomatoes, oven-baked bacon and a center-sliced iceberg slab — lift an everyday BLT so it works any time of year.
A BLT for any season, this version doesn't depend on the perfect tomato, nor bacon with pedigree, for that matter. Instead, it leans on a few details that can elevate the lowliest ingredients. Slathering one side of bread with mayo and griddling it gives supermarket white a crackling veneer, while leaving the rest suitably soft and squishy. Sprinkling the tomato with salt and letting it sit a while helps the seasoning penetrate. Baking the bacon leaves it stick-straight (so the sandwich is less likely to topple), while pulling it from the oven before it's fully crisp keeps it a little fatty. A slab of iceberg -- cut crosswise from the whole head (preferably from the center) -- is a game-changer, ensuring the sandwich's structural integrity and delivering exceptional crunch.