Preparation time: 8 minutes
Makes 1 sandwich
• 2 slices bread
• 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 slices bacon, the best you can afford
• 2 tsp mayonnaise
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2–3 baby romaine lettuce leaves
• 1 tomato
What a beauty. Everyone has their own method—this is ours. A sort of amalgamation of hungover creativity from various friends’ kitchens: we have a loud redhead to thank for the spectacularly inspired “bacon lattice,” while the overwhelming addition of black pepper is taken from years of sandwiches made with love and care on sleepy weekend mornings by a half-French, half-Scottish blond.
The key here is to sandwich the tomato between the lettuce and the bacon, thus preventing Le Sog. We also prefer not to slice the whole thing in half as this could induce tomato slippage.
Very lightly toast the bread. There should barely be a hint of gold. Leave to cool on a cutting board. Heat a teaspoon of olive oil in a frying pan before adding the bacon. Cook to taste—we like ours pretty crispy.
While the bacon is crackling away, add a spoonful of mayonnaise to each slice of the cooled bread, using the back of the spoon to spread it evenly. Grind over a teaspoon of black pepper on both sides. Arrange your lettuce on one slice, carefully covering every last inch. Next, slice your tomato (you’ll probably only need about half of it) and, using a paper towel, pat to soak up any excess moisture. Lay the tomato slices over the lettuce.
Remove the bacon and leave on some paper towels for a few minutes. It needs to be cool enough to handle. On the remaining slice of bread, lay three bits of bacon down in a row. Next, create the bacon lattice by “threading” the remaining bits of bacon over and under the first three slices. This will ensure a perfect bacon ratio in every bite, and stop it slipping out of the sandwich. Bliss. Cover tightly with foil. Fight the urge to eat the sandwich for breakfast.