This Caesar BLT Is My Roman Empire
Serious Eats / Amanda SuarezA BLT wants for nothing, but, like a bored emperor, it can still expand its dominance by conquering new realms. I'd argue that of all the possible conquests a classic bacon, lettuce, and tomato can make, the incorporation of the savory, briny, salty flavors of a Caesar salad is one of most devastatingly delicious. The result is admittedly an umami kick to the tongue, but in a good way—it's a wild ride on a rocket to flavor-space.You start with all the BLT basics: toasted sandwich bread, smoky, crispy bacon, refreshing and crunchy lettuce (except here, in honor of the Caesar, we let romaine take the place of iceberg), and juicy, sweet summer tomatoes. But now you power that up with briny anchovies, forming the culinary equivalent of a political marriage between empires. Do you, bacon of the land, take anchovies—the bacon of the sea—to be your lawfully wedded power-partner? Yes, yes we do.Serious Eats / Amanda SuarezBecause this whole exercise is about reaching utter flavor-dominance over the lands, we don't stop there. We add shavings of Parmigiano-Reggiano for a sweet-salty blast of umami and replace regular mayonnaise with dollops of Caesar mayo, which is really just a thicker Caesar dressing packed with more Parm, anchovies, black pepper, and Worcestershire. (Note, though, that I offer the option in the recipe of using regular mayo; it won't be the same, but there's enough going on in this sandwich that switching to plain mayo isn't going to ruin anything.) The Caesar mayo, anchovies, and Parm add a lot of salt to this sandwich, so I don't recommend salting the tomatoes as we would for a regular BLT—you need them to cut the salt, not add to it.The real power play that turns this sandwich into more than just a lazy BLT twist is what I do with the sandwich bread: I encrust one side of each slice in a cracker-crisp frico shell of golden Parmigiano-Reggiano, creating a perfectly crouton-like cheesy-bread bite.Could this sandwich replace a BLT? No, never—it has too strong of a personality for that. But when you want to gild the royal-sandwich lily, this is the move.Place a griddle or skillet over medium-low heat. Add bacon and place a bacon press, skillet, or masonry trowel on top of it to keep it flat as it cooks. Cook until lightly browned on first side, about 5 minutes, then flip, cover again, and continue cooking until bacon is browned on both sides and fat has rendered, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer bacon to a paper towel–lined plate and set aside.Serious Eats / Amanda SuarezLightly drizzle bread slices on both sides with olive oil. In a large nonstick skillet, spread half the cheese in a thin circle just slightly larger than a bread slice (if your skillet is large enough you can make two circles of cheese and toast both bread slices at once). Set over medium heat and cook until cheese just starts to melt. Press one bread slice into the cheese and continue to cook until cheese is just starting to turn golden around the edges, about 3 minutes; increase heat to medium-high if the cheese isn't melting and browning fast enough.Serious Eats / Amanda SuarezPush cheese in around the sides of the bread and continue to cook until cheese is golden all over, about 4 minutes longer. Flip bread and lightly toast on second side, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a work surface, cheese side up (this prevents it from steaming and softening). Repeat with remaining cheese and bread.Serious Eats / Amanda SuarezSpread a generous slather of mayo on both non-cheese sides of bread. Arrange tomatoes on top of one of the bread slices (season with salt and pepper if not using Caesar mayonnaise). Cut bacon in half crosswise and arrange slices on top of tomatoes.Serious Eats / Amanda SuarezTop with thinly shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano, anchovy fillets, and romaine lettuce. Close sandwiches, cut in half on the diagonal, and serve.Serious Eats / Amanda SuarezNotesIf making multiple sandwiches, you can save time by cooking the bacon in the oven sandwiched between two baking sheets; read how to bake bacon for a crowd here.
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