To make the perfect BLT, rethink two of the staple ingredients

We are in that delirious moment of summer when you can’t make a wrong move at the farmers market. Tomatoes in all sizes lie next to piles of corn and fields of berries in cartons. It’s a grownup version of the cliche about the kid in a candy store.

Which makes it the consummate time to eat a BLT. One of the most classic sandwiches is more than the sum of its parts, even if those parts get contentious. As the food blog Grub Street pointed out in 2019, some fanatics say it’s all about the tomatoes, while others maintain bacon is the VIP. Still others believe mayo is the unsung hero. (The lettuce, it seems, is forever the bridesmaid and never the bride, to quote one more cliche.)

The BLT at Daily Provisions, named “The Absolute Best in New York” in that 2019 story, comes down on the side of the tomatoes. Its LT puts the ripe fruit front and center, with bacon as an addon, making the BLT technically an “off the menu” item. The versions are tied in popularity: Each represents 40% of the sandwich’s sales, according to managing director Jessamyn Waldman Rodriguez, with the other 20% of orders coming in for an LAT, which boasts avocado.

Now, the Danny Meyer-led café is expanding in the city with a spot in the West Village that is in “neighborhood preview” mode before officially opening in September, as well as an upcoming branch in the Manhattan West complex near Hudson Yards. So there will be more opportunity to grab its expert version – or better yet, make it at home.

The trick here is to lavish attention on each component.

Start with the lettuce: Daily Provisions eschews leaves of iceberg or romaine in favor of crisp, peppery watercress. Then the tomato is tossed with a light lemon dressing before being layered into the sandwich. At the café, they peel it, too: “It’s a nice luxury to not have the skin on it,” says Rodriguez. “It elevates the sandwich and releases a little more of the tomato juices.” Also key is to use a single slice that’s very thick, about an inch, as if you were making the perfect tomato sandwich.

If you’re a lazy BLT maker, like me, you can omit the peeling step and still have a perfectly excellent tomato. The bread is ciabatta, which is warmed up before serving, so the crust is a bit crisp and the interior warm and puffy – an idyllic environment for a BLT. The bacon is cut thick, so you get a great chewy, meaty bite.

But the key to this extraordinary sandwich and what makes it shout “summer!” so loud and clear is the basil mayonnaise that’s spread on both halves of the bread. “The basil mayo was an element that helped us maximize seasonality, and the lemon zest in the mayo also really brightens up the entire sandwich,” says Amanda Wilson, culinary director at Daily Provisions. It tastes like a sunny day and brings everything together like a great party planner, with an additional zippy kick from the watercress.

The sandwich is a monumental, twohanded number, so it may be hard to get every single component into one bite. Keep trying until you do.

The following recipe is adapted from the work of Amanda Wilson and Donovan Tian, chef de cuisine, Daily Provisions.

DREAMSTIME/TNS When making a BLT, think outside the box.