An Egg-in-a-Hole BLT is a mashup of two classic recipes. An Egg-In-A-Hole is a classic breakfast dish made with a fried egg that’s cooked inside a hole that is cut out of the center of a slice of bread. Egg-in-a-Hole is also known as Egg-in-a-Basket, Toad in the Hole, or Bird’s Nest; and, for this sandwich, we include two of them in place of the bread for a BLT.
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Bacon Two Ways
When making a BLT, I like to cook the bacon first, and then toast the bread in the bacon fat which extends the bacon flavor throughout the sandwich. It’s also worthwhile for the bacon to be flat and interwoven in the sandwich to make it less likely to pull out while eating it. The are a couple of different ways to achieve this:
Skillet Method: Start by cutting 3 slices of bacon in half, crosswise, producing 6 slices which will eventually fit neatly within the sandwich. Cook the bacon in a skillet under the weight of a grill press. After the bacon is done and removed from the skillet, toast the bread in the bacon fat. When the time comes to assemble the sandwich, 3 slices of bacon are placed next to each other in one direction and then 3 slices are placed next to each other on top of, and perpendicular to, the first layer.
Oven Method: Start by cutting 3 slices of bacon in half, crosswise, producing 6 slices which will eventually fit neatly within the sandwich. On a piece of parchment paper inside a rimmed baking sheet, lay the bacon out, side by side. Cover the bacon with another piece of parchment paper, cover that with another rimmed baking sheet, and cook the bacon in the oven. After the bacon is done, drain the bacon fat and reserve it for later. Toast the bread in a skillet with reserved bacon fat. When the time comes to assemble the sandwich, 3 slices of bacon are placed next to each other in one direction and then 3 slices are placed next to each other on top of, and perpendicular to, the first layer.
Bacon Weave Method: Start by cutting 3 slices of bacon in half, crosswise, producing 6 slices which will eventually fit neatly within the sandwich. On a piece of parchment paper inside a rimmed baking sheet, weave the bacon together like a basket. Cover the bacon with another piece of parchment paper, cover that with another rimmed baking sheet, and cook the bacon in the oven. After the bacon is done, drain the bacon fat and reserve it for later. Toast the bread in a skillet with reserved bacon fat. When the time comes to assemble the sandwich, use the composite bacon weave instead of 6 loose pieces of bacon.
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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 BLTs, because the bread and the eggs 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.
- equipment
Egg-in-a-Hole BLT
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)
- 2 slices quality white bread (or whatever bread you prefer)
- 2 large eggs
- 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.