Turkey Sandwich Recipe Contest: B.L.T.T.

Howdy all.  I could not resist Susan B’s invitation to publish a turkey sandwich recipe.  Personally, I don’t know how anyone can choose just one recipe; there are dozens of ways to be creative with turkey.  For this (first?) article, I will go with the traditional club.  And I’ll discuss a few little options that are in the “club” family but will give Susan some choices in making this very traditional sandwich.   And since I just stumbled across this invite in today's Gather mail, I apologize for not having any photos to go with this article.  Good photos of good food always make the article better.

Turkey Sandwich Recipe Contest

B.L.T.T. Club

Multi-grain bread, 2 slices, lightly toasted

Good mayonnaise

Turkey, breast meat, 1-3 slices

Bacon, hickory smoked, thick sliced, crisp, 3 slices

Beef-steak or hot-house tomatoes, firm-ripe, 2 slices (1/4 inch thick)

Greens:  butter lettuce, baby sprouts, thinly sliced cucumbers

Avocado slices

Baby Swiss cheese, thinly sliced but not too thin

For me, the sandwich is such a personal thing.  All the ingredients are on the table in front of you.  Take what you want and stack it to suit you.  So it is difficult for me to follow the rules of this contest, giving exact ingredients, exact stacking order, etc.  Oh heck, I’m not going to win anyway.  So I’ll just talk to all of Gather about one of my family’s favorite leftover turkey meals.

All of these items – and lots more – are sitting on the dinner table, except the bread.  Just before we ring the dinner bell, we have all the bread spread out under the broiler getting a light toasting.  Once we flip them to the second side, the youngest kid rings the bell (her favorite chore) and everyone arrives at the table just as the bread comes out of the oven and is folded into a big bread basket to stay warm.

Speaking of bread Susan, I once made this sandwich on date nut bread.  It was delicious.   The sweet tang and gentle crunch of the dates, nuts and raisins brought a lot to this sandwich.  Just in case you want to try it, replace the mayo with a good butter.

The problem with white meat is that it is often dry.  I hear that brining the bird helps with that issue.  And the number of slices (of turkey or anything else that is slices) depends on how thick you slice it.  But do try to get moist slices of turkey.

Our turkey holidays are in the winter, which makes it difficult to get fabulous tomatoes and avocadoes.  Here in San Antonio, we have these items year round, but I will admit they taste better in the summer.  But on with the recipe.

Okay, start stacking items as you like them.  My family offers a choice of three greens.  Some people like them all.  That makes a pretty tall sandwich.

This is not a tricky sandwich.  I’m sure you’ve got a nicely stacked finished product in front of you now.  Our dinner table includes big trays of pickle wedges, onion slices, black and green olives, salad peppers, halved jalopeno peppers filled with cream cheese, etc.  There is also a huge try of deviled eggs and a big basket of chips.  One or two people like mustard on this sandwich so there’s that small jar of Gray Poupon hidden somewhere.  Plenty of Iced tea.  Icy cold beer for dad and me.  A TV is on in the corner of the room, no sound but the game is on for the guys.  Mothers, aunts, and grandmas are busy making small versions of the B.L.T.T. for the kids.  Once they are settled and the women have made their own sandwiches, its another holiday feast that is often just as good as the one with the whole bird. 

Happy Holidays Everyone on Gather!