You down with BLT? Yeah you know me.

You down with BLT? All the homies.

BLT, how can I explain it
I’ll take you frame by frame it
To have y’all jumpin’ shall we eat it
B is for Bacon, L is for Lettuce piled high and crispy
The last T…well…that’s sweet and zesty
Bust it.

OK enough 90′s rap music; this is a cooking site already. Anyway, the words bacon and gourmet should be synonymous if you ask me, but alas bacon gets a bad rap for being full of fat. Not here though. We worship bacon at Chili Cheese Fries Laboratories, and what better way to pay homage to crispy fried pork fat than the venerable BLT sandwich? But this isn’t just any old BLT recipe. No, we didn’t stop after the T. We added A, another T, V, C, more B and a pinch of GO. It is a bit decadent but give it a try when you aren’t feeling so frugal.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 slices of fresh baked bread
• butter
• 1/3 cup ranch dressing
• 2 tablespoons chipotle sauce found here
• 1 large tomato, sliced
• 2 cups baby lettuce mix
• 1 avocado, peeled and sliced
• 8 large fresh basil leaves
• 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon white truffle oil
• 1 green onion, minced
• salt
• fresh ground black pepper

PREPARATION:

1. Cook bacon on a cooking sheet lined with parchment paper in a 350°F oven for about 15 minutes or until crispy. Toast bread and then butter on one side. Mix ranch dressing and chipotle sauce together. Mix vinegar and oil together.

2. To assemble; place a slice of bread on a plate. Spread on some of the ranch and chipotle mixture and drizzle a small amount on the plate next to the bread. Add 2 tomato slices then a pick of salt and pepper. Drizzle a small amount (teaspoon) of the vinegar and oil mixture over the tomatoes. Add 3 avocado slices and then 1/2 cup of the lettuce mix. Pile on as much bacon as you want and drizzle a couple of tablespoons of the vinegar and oil mixture over the top. More salt and pepper and then top with the green onions. Then munch. Remember it is a gourmet sandwich so you must eat it with a fork and knife.

Serves 4

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