Friseé, Chivey Mayo & Japanese Tomato Sando
What started as a BLT…
What started as a BLT…
If you make this, tag @forliving.co on Instagram— would love to see!
I’ll start by saying that trying to get a good photo of a sandwich is quite a humbling experience. Finding an angle that captures each component feels impossible, so here it is before the full assembly and slice, followed by my best attempt to capture it in all its glory.
I was so hungry, and inevitably, spacey when I started making this sandwich that I completely forgot to cook the bacon and I didn’t even think about it until I was 75% done eating it. Despite the fact that my entire goal was to make a BLT, this was so delicious without bacon that I wanted to share it as it was. This sandwich is garlicky, herby, crunchy, buttery, slightly bitter with the friseé, and super sweet with perfectly ripe Japanese tomatoes. I love grabbing produce from Cookbook and they also have some of my favorite breads from Bub & Grandma’s— this one is their poppyseed loaf. 🥓🥬🍅
Ingredients:
2 slices of thick crusty bread, preferably a poppyseed loaf
2 Tbsp butter
1 garlic clove
1 Japanese or heirloom tomato, very ripe
1 cup loosely packed frisée
4 Tbsp mayo
3 Tbsp finely chopped chives
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Flaky salt for serving
Olive oil for dressing and drizzling, regular olive oil plus a spice or citrus-infused oil if you’ve got it: I like Brightland’s lemon-infused oil
Directions:
Thinly slice the tomato into 1/4-inch rounds and gently add them to a colander, top with a pinch of flaky salt, then let them sit and drain of excess water for a few minutes
Add a couple tablespoons of olive oil to a large cast iron and heat over medium-high until very hot, 5 mins or so
In a small bowl, mix the mayo, the finely chopped chives, several twists of black pepper, and a pinch of kosher salt. Stir until fully combined
Add each slice of bread to the pan and momentarily press them down to make contact with the bottom of the pan. If you have a grill press, this is a great time to use it! Let them turn golden brown over the next two mins, topping each with a pat of butter just before flipping. Once golden brown, turn them over, press down again, and give them another minute and a half to develop a golden crust before removing them from the heat
In another small bowl, toss the frisée with a light drizzle of olive oil, lots of freshly ground black pepper, and a pinch or two of flaky salt
Using tongs to hold the slices of toast, run the garlic clove all over each slice, pressing in lightly to coat until about half of the clove has disappeared
Add the toast to a plate, top with the chivey mayo, all of the dressed frisée, and the tomato slices. Top with a drizzle of lemon-infused olive oil, freshly ground black pepper, and flaky salt. Enjoy 🥪