It’s Tomato Time (Deconstructed BLT Salad)

Recipe and photo updated July 1, 2018

Updated photo - same great taste

Summer and tomatoes go hand and hand.  And when it comes to a summer lunch or even dinner, what can be better than a BLT? 

My mom made a mean BLT, and I still remember one that I had at a golf course in Mexico on a steamy summer day back in the 80s.  But the very best BLT I have ever had is right her in Chapel Hill, at a gas station turned lunch stop called Merrit’s Store & Grill.

Merrit’s roots go back to 1929 when original owners Ruby and Eben Merritt opened a gas station and store on Columbia St, a narrow winding road that eventually cuts right through the UNC campus and connects with Franklin Street at heart of Chapel Hill. 

Later in 1991, current owner Robert Britt bought the store and added the signature BLT to the menu.  The sandwich’s beauty is in its simplicity.  Lightly toasted bread, a thin smear of good quality mayo and a layer (or more, depending on the size sandwich you choose) each of farm stand tomatoes and crisp local bacon are topped with crisp iceberg lettuce.  The whole thing is wrapped in foil and handed to you in a brown paper bag.  Need I say more?

We had our first Merrit’s BLT the week we arrived in Chapel Hill a little under a year ago.  As we settled in to enjoy our lunch at a picnic table behind the store, there was a flash of lightning, a crash of thunder and the sky literally opened up. Just like in the movies!  We dashed to the car and had our picnic right in the gravel covered parking lot.  It was a great way to start our adventure, and a memory I will always cherish.

The other night we had a similar storm, and as luck would have it I also had some heirloom tomatoes, local bacon, and the other necessary BLT fixin’s on hand.  However, we weren’t in the mood for a sandwich, so I did a deconstructed version and called it dinner. 

Will took a great shot of the salad before we enjoyed it with a nice glass of crisp white wine. I hope you give it a try and enjoy it as much as we did. 

Enjoy!

Deconstructed BLT Salad

Serves 4

Celebrate the end of summer with a new twist on a BLT. You can also cut the bacon, lettuce and tomatoes into bite sized pieces and toss, if you don’t  feel like assembling the dish as shown.

Ingredients:

For the Dressing:

Leftovers will keep in a jar in the ‘fridge for up to one week.

• ½ cup Greek yogurt (I use 2% but fat free of 5% OK too)
• ¼ cup good mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup buttermilk (standard milk will work, too)
• 2 tsp finely diced parsley
• 2 tsp finely diced chives
• 1 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/8 tsp each garlic powder, onion powder and celery seed

For the salad:

• 4 thick slices of sourdough bread, like crusty farmers bread 
• 1 very large or two medium tomatoes cut into thick slices
• 2 cups of cherry tomatoes, assorted colors if you can find them, about half of them cut in half
• 8 slices thick cut apple smoked bacon
• 2 cups shredded (make nice, long shreds – not chopped) iceberg lettuce
• Olive Oil Kosher salt and black pepper for grilling the bread

Method:

Make the Dressing

• Whisk all of the ingredients together in a medium sized bowl. Adjust seasoning to taste as needed.
• Cover with plastic wrap or put in a glass jar and chill until you are ready to make the salad

Bake the bacon -- Yup, bake it. This method will keep the bacon perfectly flat and drains away the fat: Simply preheat your oven to 400 degrees, put a baking rack atop a baking sheet and lay the bacon on the rack. Then bake for 18-20 minutes and remove to drain on a paper towel.

Grill the bread -- Brush both sides of the bread with olive oil sprinkle with Kosher salt and a few grinds of black pepper before grilling on a grill pan or outside on the grill until you get nice grill marks.

Assemble the salad – I use a large dinner plate as this can get messy when you start cutting into the salad. Put a slice of bread on each person’s plate and layer sliced tomatoes, bacon, lettuce, cherry tomatoes and a drizzle of dressing.

Enjoy!