Best BLT Sandwich

Thick slices of crispy bacon, perfectly ripe tomatoes, and fresh lettuce are the main components to the BLT. The simplicity of this recipe allows plenty of room for creative freedom. You can change out the lettuce for a more nutritional green—try smashed avocado instead of mayo, or add a fried egg. Another way to customize is to make your own mayonnaise; this particular recipe has a jazzed-up mayonnaise, with cilantro and chipotle peppers in adobo sauce* that gives it a spicy kick.

This recipe also calls for heirloom tomatoes. In case you're not up on 'em, heirloom tomatoes are those funky-looking tomatoes, as opposed to the usual perfect-looking red ones you see. They're called heirlooms because they're grown from seeds passed down from generation to generation, and because they're (usually) organically grown, they tend to appear in pure, sometimes grotty-looking forms. You might see one that's red, another that's yellow and green, and they may even look dirty. No matter, they just taste better, especially on a BLT.

*chipotle peppers in adobo sauce is available canned in most supermarkets. We like La Costeña's.