Grilled Bacon Tomato Sandwiches

Jack's garden operation grows more ambitious every year. The greenhouse, the market sales, the Farm Fund jar that now holds over three hundred dollars. He's 13 and he farms the way some kids play video games — obsessively, joyfully, with the deep understanding that this is not a hobby but a vocation wearing a hobby's clothes.

I made homemade pasta with butter and parmesan this week — the spring version, the one that fills the kitchen with the smell that means this time of year, this stage of life, this specific Tuesday when the stove is warm and the family is fed and the feeding is the point. Kevin ate seconds. The man always eats seconds. The eating is the approval and the approval is the marriage.

The garden is waking up. The garlic that overwintered is pushing green shoots through the soil, the annual proof that buried things come back. Jack's seedlings are hardening off in the greenhouse. The Marlene cherry tomato — generation 6 now — ready for transplanting. Every spring the planting is the memorial. Every spring the name goes back in the ground.

The same week the garlic pushed back through the soil and Jack’s seedlings were hardening off in the greenhouse, I found myself wanting something simple and warm for lunch — nothing that required a recipe card or a plan, just the smell of bacon in a hot pan and a ripe tomato doing what a ripe tomato does. These grilled bacon tomato sandwiches are the kind of thing I make when the season is turning and the kitchen is already warm from the morning and I want the meal to feel like a reward without requiring one.

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 25 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

8 slices thick-cut bacon
2 medium ripe tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
8 slices sourdough or country white bread
3 tablespoons butter, softened
4 slices sharp cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and black pepper to taste
Fresh basil leaves (optional)

Instructions

Cook the bacon. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon in batches until crisp, about 8–10 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate and set aside. Pour off all but 1 teaspoon of drippings.
Season the tomatoes. Lay tomato slices on a clean surface, season lightly with salt and pepper, and let them sit for 5 minutes to draw out a bit of moisture.
Prepare the bread. Mix softened butter with garlic powder. Spread the garlic butter evenly on one side of each bread slice. On the unbuttered side of 4 slices, spread a thin layer of mayonnaise.
Assemble the sandwiches. On the mayonnaise side of 4 bread slices, layer 2 slices of bacon, 2–3 tomato slices, a slice of cheddar, and a few basil leaves if using. Top with the remaining bread slices, buttered side facing out.
Grill the sandwiches. Heat the skillet or a griddle over medium heat. Place sandwiches buttered-side down and cook 3–4 minutes until golden brown. Flip carefully and cook another 2–3 minutes until the second side is golden and the cheese is melted.
Serve. Cut diagonally and serve immediately while the bread is crisp and the cheese is warm.

Nutrition (per serving)

Grilled Bacon Tomato Sandwiches — The Warmth That Keeps the Week Together