I made these sandwiches as a part of my family’s Easter brunch this year. They are my take on a sandwich that I have had at Miss Shirley’s, one of my favorite places to go for brunch in Baltimore.
Hiss Shirley’s has this sandwich called the Southern Slammer Sandwich, which has fried green tomato, applewood-smoked bacon, smashed avocado, cheddar cheese, and a fried egg on pumpernickel bread.
I added the spicy aioli and made little cheesy thin egg omelettes rather than the fried egg, and I also used a hearty grainy bread rather than pumpernickel. For anyone that loves brunch and loaded sandwiches, you must make these!
Bread of your choice, sliced into 1/2-3/4 in. thick slices, depending on how many sandwiches you’re making (heartier breads work better)
2 fried green tomatoes, sliced into 1/4 in. slices (You will have leftover if you are only making this sandwich for 2-3 people)
2 T. milk
4-6 eggs (2 for coating the tomatoes, 2-4 for the sandwich)
2/3 c. flour
1/4 c. cornmeal
1/4 c. breadcrumbs
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1-2 avocados (depending on how many sandwiches you’re making)
Sharp cheddar cheese, shredded or cut into thin slices (depending on how many sandwiches you are making..I used a 16-18 month aged New York Sharp Cheddar)
4-6 slices of applewood smoked bacon, cooked
For the aioli:
1/3 c. plain Greek yogurt
2 T. mayonnaise
1 tsp. sriracha
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1/2 tsp. paprika
pinch of smoked paprika
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
salt and pepper
Begin by making the aioli. Combine Greek yogurt, mayo, sriracha, cayenne, both paprikas, garlic powder, and salt and pepper in a small bowl. Stir until mixture is smooth and set aside.
Next, make the fried green tomatoes. Set up three shallow bowls in a row. The first with flour, the second with two eggs and 2 T. of milk, and the third with the cornmeal, breadcrumbs, garlic powder, cayenne, and salt and pepper. Make sure you beat the eggs and milk together and stir the breadcrumb mixture. Set the slices of fried green tomato on paper towels and sprinkle with salt. Let sit for 5 minutes or so. This helps to draw out the moisture of the tomatoes so that the batter is crispy and sticks to the tomatoes.
First, coat the slices in flour, shake off the excess, then the egg, and then coat in the breadcrumb mixture. Repeat until all the slices are coated.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium/high heat, and add 3 T. of olive oil or oil of your choice. Fry the tomato slices for about 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Let drain on paper towels.
Next, beat the remaining 2-4 eggs depending on how many sandwiches you are making. Season with salt and pepper. Heat same nonstick skillet over medium heat, and pour a thin layer of egg onto the skillet, and move it around until the bottom of the pan is coated. Sprinkle with some cheddar cheese if desired, and let set for 1 minute or so. Flip it in half, cook for 30 seconds, and then flip it over, and cook for another 30 seconds until the egg has set. Repeat until you’ve made all of the omelettes. Once they have cooled, cut in half or to the size to fit the sandwiches.
To assemble the sandwiches, toast the bread slices, then spread both slices generously with the aioli. Then, smash avocado slices into both sides of the bread. Next, top with a mini egg omelette, a fried green tomato, and finally a slice or two of bacon. Top with other half of the bread, and cut in half. You are going to need a heavy duty knife to get through this sandwich!
Leftover fried green tomato slices are great on a spinach salad!
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