I am constantly trying to find quick and tasty weeknight meals and a good sandwich is one of my favorite choices (and Matt's too). For men, there is something about shoving things between two pieces of bread, not using silverware, and stuffing it in their mouth. Matt could eat a sandwich for every meal, and it hardly matters what is between those pieces of bread. We regularly have tomato and mozzarella grilled cheese, left over deer meat with spinach and mustard, and chicken salad with cranberries. But this is my absolute favorite! It has everything that I love and it is only five ingredients. Does it get any easier than that??
Avocado BLT's
How fantastic does that sandwich look?? And those fries?? I would be more than happy to pay $10-12 if I was served this at a restaurant. You can make four sandwiches at home with fries for around $5. That is my kind of meal!
I am going to let you in on one of my secrets to a great sandwich. Get yourself some good bread. I have tried so many kinds of bread to please my sweetie, but his absolute favorite is this 9 grain and seed bread from the Kroger deli section. I am hoping I do not regret letting y'all know about this bread because there are only a few loaves there every week. Please save me a loaf if they are going like hotcakes!
Cut your bread into slices. This bread has fantastic texture. Look at all of that flaxseed, sunflower seeds, and millet! The seeds add a crunch and the inside is soft and fluffy.
Grab an avocado and cut it in half.
Is there any color more gorgeous than avocado? It is just such a lovely color green and how it graduates from a dark green to light...lets just say it inspires me. I could create a whole kitchen based on an avocado, and I just might one day.
Scoop out the avocado into a bowl and add pepper. I did not add salt because A.) we try to not eat too much salt in our diet and B.) the bacon is salty enough to where you do not miss it.
Cook yourself up some bacon in whichever way you like to make it. My mom uses the microwave method, I use the stovetop method, and you can even use the oven method. I used two slices of bacon for each sandwich.
Mash up your avocado. I would recommend doing the whole avocado cutting and mashing as close to serving the sandwich as possible. Avocados oxidize very quickly and turn an unappetizing brown color.
Assemble your sandwich. First, layer some of your avocado on your bread. Take a few tomato slices and place them lovingly on top of your avocado.
I believe I can hear the angels singing. Next comes the bacon! At this point, I start feeling like that dog on the Beggin' Strip commercials. It's BACON!!!
The final step is to apply some lettuce to your creation. I used spinach because that is what I had on hand. Mixed greens or Romaine lettuce would be delish too. Top your sandwich with your last slice of bread and dinner is done!
But wait...there were fries in that picture! I want fries! I want fries! I want fries!
Okay, okay, calm down. These are my crispy baked fries. They are one of my favorite sides, and I usually start out the meal by making these first so they finish baking while I am assembling my sandwich. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Take one potato for each person and scrub all of the grit off of its skin.
Cut your potato into long slices. FYI: The skinnier the slices, the quicker the fries cook.
Cut each slice into fries. A really quick way of doing this is by purchasing a kitchen appliance called a Mandoline. I have one, but I must have had a rough day and needed to chop something. Woah... that sounded creepy. No judging! Cooking is my therapy!
Take a cookie sheet and for easy clean up, lay a sheet of tin foil down. Spray the foil with non-stick spray to prevent the fries from sticking.
I use different seasonings on my fries every time I make them. I use whatever I have in abundance in my garden. In the winter I use dried herbs, but in the summer, fresh herbs really kick these fries up a notch. Here I used fresh chives.
Put your fries on the cookie sheet. Add your chives, 2 minced cloves of garlic, salt, and pepper. Drizzle your fries with olive oil.
Toss everything together and get the fries in a single layer. Otherwise they will not brown correctly. I have found that a cookie sheet's limit is two potatoes. If I am cooking for a crowd, I used two cookie sheets. If you don't then the fries will steam and not crisp up.
Let the fries cook for about 20 minutes. Toss the fries and put them back in the oven for another 10 minutes or so. And now you have delicious, fragrant baked fries that you will never guess were baked.
Two recipes in one! I hope you enjoy your easy, inexpensive weeknight dinner. And don't forget what I said about the bread! If I show up at Kroger next week and all my bread is gone, I will be so sad.
Ingredients:
BLT per sandwich:
2 slices of bread
2 slices of bacon
2-3 slices of tomato
1/2 avocado
Spinach leaves
Bakes Fries:
2 Russett potatoes
2 minced garlic cloves
2 TBSP of chives
1-2 TBSP of olive oil
Salt and pepper
Directions:
BLT: Cook your bacon until preferred doneness. Slice your tomatoes. Cut your avocado and scoop the flesh into a bowl. Add some pepper to your avocado and mash it until creamy. Assemble your sandwich by adding avocado to the bottom slice of bread, add the tomato slices, followed by the bacon, then spinach. Add your top slice of bread to top off your sandwich.
Fries: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Cut your potatoes into fries and cut your herbs. Add the potatoes, herbs, salt, pepper, minced garlic and olive oil to your cookie sheet. Toss everything together. Bake for 20 minutes and toss the par cooked fries. Return to the oven and cook for another 10 minutes until crispy.
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