Fried green tomatoes are one of those Southern classics that inspire fanatical devotion. For good reason: green tomatoes have a lovely tart flavor that mellows and warms in the heat of the frying pan, and, because they are so firm, they keep their shape and texture even after they’re cooked. They are most often eaten on their own, as a side dish, so it wasn’t until I visited a small grocery store in Greenwood, Mississippi, that I tried a fried green tomato BLT for the first time. It immediately struck me as such an obvious combination that I couldn’t believe I hadn’t already thought of it myself.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4

　　1/2 cup Quick Basil Mayo (page 280)

　　4 to 8 slices whole-grain sandwich bread, toasted or grilled

　　1/2 recipe Fried Green Tomatoes (page 249)

　　12 slices thick-cut bacon, fried or baked until crisp

　　8 large Bibb lettuce leaves, washed and drained

　　

Step 1

Spread the mayo on half the bread slices and top evenly with the tomatoes, bacon, and lettuce, and serve open-face or top with the remaining bread to form sandwiches. Serve warm or at room temperature.

　　

Sara’s Swaps

Step 2

Turn these hearty breakfast sandwiches into bite-size appetizers or hors d’oeuvres by making them mini. Cut the bread into quarters and spread with the mayonnaise. Cut the tomatoes, lettuce, and bacon to fit the quartered bread and stack them on top, making open-face sandwiches. Secure with a toothpick or small wooden skewer and serve warm. Add a fried egg to make a hearty breakfast and serve open-face.

　　Reprinted with permission from Sara Foster's Southern Kitchen: Soulful, Traditional, Seasonal by Sara Foster. Copyright © 2011 by Sara Foster. Published by Random House. All Rights Reserved.Sara Foster is the owner of Foster's Market, the acclaimed gourmet take-out store/cafés in Durham and Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and the author of several cookbooks including The Foster's Market Cookbook, winner of the Best Cookbook Award from the Southeast Booksellers Association. She has appeared numerous times on Martha Stewart Living Television and NBC's Today show. She has also been featured in magazines such as More, House Beautiful, and Southern Living, and is featured regularly in Bon Appétit.