I’ve been doing a lot more cooking the last eight or nine months, first out of necessity and now because I’m enjoying it. The Little Red-Haired Girl and I do a really really simple meal plan every two weeks, after payday — I choose 4 meals I’ll make she chooses 6 she’ll make then I go get (almost) all the ingredients for it all. (Almost, because a man learns early on that avocado is a same-day ingredient!) With leftovers and the occasional pizza this gets us through two weeks at a time.
Some of my favorites are what I’m going to call really fussy sandwiches. All of these are courtesy Kenji Lopez-Alt of the Food Lab, and you will not go wrong trying them.
One piece of advice before we dive in: cut your sandwiches in halve along the diagonal (because triangles taste better), and use a bench scraper for your cutting tool because OMG will you have the best cuts you’ve ever made in a sandwich.
This is a messy one but so, so worth it. It will also, if you’re me, test your ability to flip eggs and egg-related objects over. To cut the hole I used a small wine glass:
Ingredients
- 2 slices hearty sandwich bread
- 2 tablespoons butter (1 ounce; 30g), divided
- 2 eggs
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 slices American, cheddar, or Jack cheese
Directions
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Cut a circle out of the center of each slice of bread using a small empty can or a biscuit cutter. Melt half of butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until foaming subsides. Add both bread slices, break an egg into each, season with salt and pepper, and cook, swirling occasionally, until golden brown on bottom side, about 2 minutes.
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Add remaining butter and carefully flip both slices of bread, making sure the eggs don't break. Add a cheese slice to the top of each bread slice. Cook, swirling pan occasionally, until golden brown on second side. Close sandwich with cheese inside and continue to cook, flipping occasionally, until eggs are soft-cooked and cheese is melted, about 1 minute longer. Serve immediately.
I’ve never been a big avocado fan — this recipe makes an amazing avocado-flavored enjoyment that all humans should try at least once:
Ingredients
- 2 slices bacon, sliced in half crosswise
- 2 slices hearty white bread, such as Pepperidge Farm or Arnold
- 2 teaspoons butter
- 2 slices American or Cheddar cheese
- 2 slices ripe beefsteak tomato
- 1/2 a ripe avocado, thinly sliced
- Kosher salt
Directions
- Place bacon in a large nonstick or cast iron skillet and cook over medium-low heat, turning occasionally, until crisp all over, about 8 minutes. Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and bacon fat to a small bowl.
- Wipe out skillet and return to medium heat. Melt butter until foaming subsides. Add both bread slices and cook, swirling occasionally, until pale golden brown on bottom side, about 2 minutes.
- Transfer to a cutting board toasted-side-up. Place one cheese slice on top of one slice, followed by bacon, tomato, and avocado. Top with second cheese slice and close sandwich.
- Add half of reserved bacon fat to skillet and heat over medium-low heat. Add sandwich and cook, swirling occasionally, until deep, even golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove sandwich using a flexible metal spatula. Add the remaining bacon fat. Return sandwich to skillet cooked-side up. Season with salt. Cook, swirling occasionally, until second side is deep, even golden brown and cheese is thoroughly melted, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately.
I’m pretty sure I’ve posted this before (if not multiple times!) Per Cindi’s advice I’ve been getting pre-shredded iceberg because my knife skills are, er, a work in progress. Let’s go with that:
Ingredients
- 3 strips thick-cut, naturally cured bacon (see note)
- 2 slices high-quality sandwich bread, such as shokupan
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) homemade or store-bought mayonnaise (see note)
- 1 1/2 cups finely shredded iceberg lettuce (see note)
- 4 thick slices ripe tomato (see note)
- Coarse sea salt, such as fleur de sel or Maldon
- Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
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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.
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Place bread on same skillet or griddle and toast in bacon fat over medium-low heat, swirling occasionally, until evenly browned on first side. Flip and brown second side.
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Lay toasted bread on a work surface and spread mayonnaise on both top faces. Divide lettuce evenly between both pieces of bread. Layer tomato slices on one piece of bread and sprinkle generously with coarse salt and freshly ground pepper.
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Break bacon slices in half and layer them onto the sandwich in 2 layers of 3 half-slices each, alternating the orientation of bacon in each layer for more structural stability. Close sandwich and cut in half diagonally. Serve immediately.
A now a special plea from myself and ninkasi23: after next week we have a completely clear schedule. Anyone who wants to sign up, there’s plenty of space available!