BROWN SUGAR BACON CLUB SANDWICHES

A few special touches take this club sandwich from ordinary to extraordinary. Seriously, could anything be better than brown sugar and bacon?

⅓ cup brown sugar

8 uncooked bacon slices

½ cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

12 slices white or wheat bread, lightly toasted

16 turkey slices

8 romaine lettuce leaves

8 tomato slices

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a wire rack. Place the brown sugar in a shallow bowl. Dredge each piece of bacon in the sugar on each side, and then place them on the rack. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the bacon is crisp. Break each slice in half.

In a small bowl whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Spread the mayo mixture on 4 slices of the bread. Top those slices with 2 slices of turkey, 2 bacon halves, one lettuce leaf, and one tomato slice. Spread mayo on one side of 4 more slices of bread and place on top of the tomato. Repeat the layers. Spread the mayonnaise on the last 4 slices of bread, and top all the sandwiches with the mayo side down. Cut the sandwiches diagonally into quarters, securing each triangle with a long toothpick or cocktail sword.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS.

TIP: Wrap these sandwiches in parchment paper to maintain freshness when transporting.