Bacon. The best right? How about sandwiches? Also pretty damn good. Well, let me tell you a story...
One day, Mr Real Bacon met Ms Homemade Sourdough. They pretty much hit it off instantly. The love affair was quick and Mr Real Bacon decided to propose. The pair eloped, because, you know, they're naughty. As a result, they could only have a few of their closest friends at the wedding. The best man was Mr FigandNaartjie Jam and the bridesmaids were Ms Organic Feta and Ms Wild Rocket. And of course, Pastor Butter was there to oversee the procedings. The two lived happily ever after.
Well, kind of. Not really. This giant came along and ate everyone. It was tragic(ally good). The end.
Ok, very lame, I know, but seriously, one of the best sandwiches I have ever eaten, let alone made myself. Here's how to do it:
You'll need (per person):
4 slices of Richard Bosman's Real Bacon (here)
1 or 2 thick slices of good sourdough bread
Wild rocket
1/4 of a feta round
Jam (I used fig and naartjie, it was delicious. Try to go for a more relish-style-jam than a jam-jam, if you know what I mean. Apricot, strawberry, raspberry etc... won't cut it.)
Butter
Griddled sourdough: heat a griddle pan until it is just starting to smoke. Butter the slice of bread very thinly on BOTH sides. Griddle the bread for about 4-5 minutes per side, until you see wonderful griddle marks. Don't blacken your bread please. Duh. Remove the toast from the pan.
Bacon:
ok so pay attention because I'm going to tell you HOW TO COOK CRISPY BACON. So, usually, when you try and make crispy bacon, it shrivells up and looks a bit like you've tried to dehydrate your bacon. Not cool. Here's how to do it properly: place your bacon slices in a COLD non-stick pan. No oil or butter. Do not overlap the slices. Place the pan over a medium-low heat. Get a pot which will fit inside your pan and will cover all of your bacon slices. Fill it 3/4 of the way up with water. Place the pot ON TOP of the bacon slices, inside the pan. This weighs down the bacon and prevents it from shrivelling up. Cook the bacon for about 3 minutes per side in this way, so that and excess water from the bacon evaporates and the bacon fat starts to melt. Increase the heat to high and cook the bacon until crispy, about another 4 minutes per side. Keep the bacon weighed down at all times with the pot. Et voilรก, you have perfect crispy bacon.To serve: put a thin layer of jam on your toast. Stack on the bacon, top with the crumbled feta and garnish with lots of rocket.
And there you have it. The best bacon sandwich.
dK
*Side note: I had a Whale Tale Ale from Boston Breweries to accompany this fine meal. It was a good match, but I would have to say that I think the Versus Goliath from Brewers & Union would be phenomenal with this. Give it a shot.
