Fried Green Tomato BLT Sandwich (FGTBLT)

Every Saturday in Savannah, Forsyth Park has a local Farmer's Market. Forsyth is only a couple blocks from our apartment, so we look forward to it every weekend, especially so we can take Eloise on a long walk and let her run her ass off. So this morning we strolled on over to the market, and we bought some organic honey, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw the most gorgeous green tomatoes. And to be honest, the only thing I think of when I see green tomatoes... are fried green tomatoes. So we bought some and decided we could make a Fried Green Tomato BLT. Needless to say, it was ba-na-nas (as Rachel Zoe would say). The sandwiches are on toasted challah buns with a leaf of bibb lettuce, the fried green tomatoes, slices of pepper bacon, and a caramelized vidalia onion-bacon mayo. Enjoy my friend, we sure did :)

Fried Green Tomato BLT Sandwich 

For the Fried Green Tomatoes:
1Q Peanut Oil, For Frying
2C AP Flour
1T Paprika
1T Chili Powder
1T Cajun Seasoning
1T Salt
2 Eggs
1/3C Buttermilk
1T Hot Sauce
1 Box Panko Bread Crumbs
Salt, For Sprinkling

For the Mayo:
1C Mayo
2 Vidalia Onions, Sliced
4 Slices of Bacon, Chopped
1/4C Olive Oil
3T Butter
Salt & Pepper

For the Sandwiches:
1 Toasted Sandwich Roll or Bun (we used a challah roll)
1 Leaf of Bibb Lettuce
2 Fried Green Tomatoes
3 Slices of Peppered Bacon
2 Spoonfuls of Vidalia-Bacon Mayo

Directions:
1. For the Mayo: Preheat the oven to 400 and line a baking sheet with tin foil and spray with Pam. Bake the 7 slices of bacon; sprinkling pepper on 3 of them. Bake until crispy, brown, and cooked (about 20-30 minutes depending on your oven). Next, caramelize the sliced onions in pan with olive oil & butter. Salt heavily in order to draw the moisture out of the onions. Cook them until brown and soft. In a food processor, combine the mayo, caramelized onions, and 4 slices of chopped bacon, blending until well incorporated. Set aside until the sandwich is ready.
2. For the Fried Green Tomatoes: Heat your deep fryer to 375 with the peanut oil. Slice the green tomatoes to about 1/2inch thick, place the slices in a strainer and sprinkle the tomatoes with salt. Let the tomatoes drain for about 15-30 minutes. After drained, dry the tomatoes with paper towels, so that there is no more excess moisture. Next you have to set up a battering station. I use 3 pie tins for all of my stations. For the first station, I mix the flour & the seasonings. For the second station, whisk the eggs, buttermilk, and hot sauce. For the third station, pour the contents of one box of panko bread crumbs. Now, place the slices of green tomatoes in the flour, egg, and panko. Begin to fry the green tomatoes in the peanut oil. Fry 1 slice for about 5 minutes or 2 slices for 7 minutes. After the frying is done, sprinkle with salt and begin to assemble the sandwiches.
3. Assemble: Spread 1 spoon of the vidalia-bacon mayo on each side of the toasted bread roll. Next, place the leaf of lettuce on the bottom roll, then the green tomatoes, feta cheese, pepper bacon, and the top bun.
4. Serve immediately!