Turn Tomato Sandwiches Into An Extra-Savory Flavor Bomb With Just One Spread

Tomato sandwiches are tops for creating something maximally tasty with minimal ingredients. But committed culinary tinkerers will also take those scant required items as an invitation to squeeze even more things in. That's how you get delicious adaptations like tzatziki tomato sandwiches and tomato sandwiches with fennel flair. And a bit of bacon jam on your next tomato sandwich will give it a sensationally sweet-savory enhancement with just the swipe of a knife.

You can still more or less build your tomato sandwich how you normally would when introducing the salty-sweet spread that typically mingles crisp pork with brown sugar and a smattering of other complementary flavors. You still want to use big, ripe tomatoes as close to peak season as you can get. (And, as a bonus, extras like bacon jam can kind of compensate for off-peak produce.) You should also stick with basic but classic white or sourdough bread when you want the slightly savory fruit to fully shine. And salt and pepper are practically compulsory.

We'd even still keep the mayo when introducing bacon jam, as beneficial as that bit of creamy fat can be, though consider cutting it by about half to accommodate the porcine condiment. You can also keep the mayo to one slice of bread and relegate the jam to the other, the tomato bridging the two sumptuous spreads. Some folks might even prefer to stir them both together for maximum coverage. You'll enjoy the jam's unique contribution to the sandwich in any case. And more accoutrements can accentuate it further.

Tomatoes and bacon get along famously with cheese. And you might want to consider cheesing up your bacon jam tomato sandwich with a bit of a twist. Instead of layering on a slice of this or that, you can use pimento cheese spread for your bacon jam tomato sandwich for enhanced flavor and texture. Considering pimento cheese's usual cheddar is often mixed with mayo to begin with, you can let the blend stand in for the plain eggy emulsion in this case.

Very thinly sliced jalapeños (raw or pickled) for a hot kick without any bulk are also terrific with bacon jam tomato sandwiches, whether they've been cheesed or not. The condiments will hold them nicely in place. You also shouldn't need too many other spices in this case, but a sprinkling of smoked paprika would also bring out the bacon's own campfire notes. Using smoked salt instead of the old table stuff will, of course, have a similar effect. And real devotees can even double up on the swine with a bacon fat-infused mayo for some true culinary synergy.