Bacon, Lettuce and Fried Green Tomato Sliders (BLFGT Sliders)
Fried green tomatoes add a southern touch to these bodacious bacon burgers.
Ingredients
- 8 slices smoky bacon, halved across
- 2 green or very under-ripe, firm tomatoes
- Salt
- Pepper
- Flour, for dredging
- 2 eggs or egg whites, beaten
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/3 cup cornmeal
- 1/3 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
- A handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
- Canola oil or light olive oil, for shallow frying, plus a drizzle
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef - sirloin for leaner burgers or chuck for buttery burgers
- 3-4 tablespoons grated onion and its juice
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce, such as Frank’s Red Hot brand (eyeball it)
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (eyeball it)
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 clove garlic, grated or pasted by finely chopping and mashing with salt
- A few tablespoons fresh chives, minced
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 8 slider rolls or dinner-size brioche rolls, split
- 1 head tender lettuce, such as Bibb or butter lettuce
Preparation
Pre-heat the oven to 375˚F.
Bake the bacon on slotted pan in the middle of oven until crisp, 15-18 minutes. Allow to cool.
Meanwhile, trim the tops and bottoms of the tomatoes and slice into four slices each, no more than 1/2-inch thick. Salt the sliced tomatoes on each side and drain on a doubled paper towel for a few minutes, then season with a little pepper. Dredge the tomatoes in flour, then coat in the egg whites, followed by the breadcrumbs mixed with the cornmeal, Parmigiano Reggiano and parsley.
Heat 1/8 inch oil in a skillet over medium to medium-high heat and cook the tomatoes until golden and crisp, a few minutes on each side. Cool on a cooling rack.
Combine the meat with the grated onion, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Form eight 3-ounce slider-size patties; drizzle them with a little oil. Heat a large griddle or nonstick skillet and cook the patties for a couple of minutes on each side.
Combine the sour cream with the garlic, chives, lemon juice, salt, pepper and a dash or two more of hot sauce, if you like.
Place the burgers on the bun bottoms. Top each slider burger with two slices of halved, cooked bacon, tender lettuce leaves, a slice of fried green tomato, sour cream and chive sauce and the bun tops.
