BLT with Fried Egg

Adding an over-easy fried egg to a BLT creates a sandwich with a delicious new dimension.  The BLT contribution to the sandwich combines the flavors and textures of crispy bacon, crunchy lettuce and juicy tomato.  Putting an egg on top adds the creaminess of the yolk that bursts when you bite into it and runs all over the rest of the sandwich.

Is this truly a BLT? No. I agree with other BLT devotees who argue that if anything is added to a BLT, it is no longer a BLT; and also that a true BLT cannot be improved by adding anything new to it.  On the other hand, I don’t think the BLT should be selfish, and claim the bacon, lettuce and tomato magic for its own sole proprietary use.  Adding eggs, cheese, avocado, sauces, or any number of other toppings to the basic BLT can create and incredible sandwich, regardless of whether it should be called a BLT or something else. 

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Notes:

• note
• note

Equipment that I used:

• Small Glass Bowls: Whenever fried eggs are part of a recipe, the first thing I do is break them individually into small bowls. That way, they’re ready to go when I need them and I also have the opportunity to fish out pieces of broken shell if I need to.
• 12″ Cast Iron Skillet: The heat-retention and non-stick properties of cast-iron make it a perfect material for grilling, searing, and frying.  It’s also a good choice for recipes like this one, because the bread and the egg could be toasted in the same fat and in the same pan as the bacon, tying together the flavors in the sandwich.
• Fish Spatula: I like to use a fish spatula for grilling bread and sandwiches. The thinness of the blade helps to get under the food without pushing it sideways, and the blade is long and wide enough to support a whole piece of bread or a whole sandwich.
• Bread Knife: Keeping a BLT together while cutting it can be a challenge because applying too much pressure to cut through the hard ingredients can tend to crush the soft ingredients.  The trick is to make several, light-pressure saw strokes, and a long, sharp, serrated bread knife is advantageous for the purpose.

Print Pin

BLT with Fried Egg

Adding a fried egg to a BLT brings a luxurious, soft, creamy texture that contrasts with the textures of the crisp bacon and fresh lettuce.  The yolk has a savory richness that complements the other ingredients and, if cooked runny, can act like a sauce that permeates the sandwich making each bite more satisfying.

Ingredients

• 3 slices bacon (or 1 bacon weave, see note)
• 2 leaves romaine lettuce (or 1 cup of finely shredded iceberg lettuce, see note)
• 1 slice ripe tomato (or more, enough to cover the sandwich, see note)
• 1 large egg
• 2 slices quality white bread (or whatever bread you prefer)
• Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Instructions

Mis en Place

• Cut 3 slices bacon in half, crosswise.
• Set aside 2 leaves of romaine lettuce or finely shred 1 cup of iceberg lettuce.
• Slice 1 ripe tomato
• Set aside 2 slices of quality white bread.

Preparation

• Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat.
• Add the bacon and weigh it down with a bacon press, a skillet, a masonry trowel, or a foil-wrapped brick to keep it flat as it cooks.
• Cook the bacon until lightly browned on the first side, about 5 minutes.
• Flip the bacon over, weigh it down again, and continue cooking until the bacon is browned, about 3 minutes longer.
• Transfer the bacon to a paper towel–lined plate and set aside.
• Toast the bread in the bacon fat, swirling and flipping until both sides are evenly browned.
• Lay the toasted bread on a work surface and spread mayonnaise on one side of both pieces.
• Place the lettuce on one slice of bread of bread.
• Lay 3 slices of bacon next to each other on the lettuce.
• Lay the remaining 3 slices of bacon next to each other on top of the first layer of bacon, but in the opposite direction.
• Lay the tomato on the bacon.
• Sprinkle the tomato with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Close the sandwich and cut it in half diagonally into triangles.