Bacon, Goat Cheese, Strawberry, Arugula and Caramelized Onion Sandwich

Besides my two boys peeling my eyes open with their fingers requesting breakfast or the remote to the tv, there are only two things that will get me out of bed in the morning on a Saturday or Sunday. The aromatic smell of freshly brewed coffee or the smoky deliciousness of bacon rendering in its own fat. If I am lucky to have both happening at the same time, I instantly have a little more pep in my step to head into the kitchen.

When Lola Farms mentioned giving me some of their bacon to use in a recipe, my boys were super excited. It might be their favorite food group. I don’t know about you, but I was always amazed at how much meat came out of so much fat. When you look at it raw, you see virtually all fat. But somehow, once it is cooked, there is surprisingly a good amount of meat underneath all that fatty goodness. What I love about this meat candy, is that it is so versatile. You can put it in almost any dish and it would work. Markets are even selling bacon flavored chocolate bars! If you haven’t tried it, you should. That flavor combination is genius.

Can we talk about goat cheese and strawberries here for a minute? One of my favorite combos and I will always order it if I see it on a menu. Goat cheese with most fruits or berries work well, but when you pair it with smoky bacon, it takes it to a whole other level.  I created a recipe that combines all these ingredients and more for a delicious mid-day treat or late night snack. Once you cook the onions and bacon, the sandwich is a cinch to make.  Bacon, Goat Cheese, Strawberry, Arugula and Caramelized Onion Sandwich. Click on link to view recipe.

The bread makes all the difference in this recipe. If there is anything that I learned from my most recent trip to NYC, it is to not skimp on the bread. I always took bread for granted. It has not been something that I would automatically choose to indulge in. That all changed when I had bread and butter served as a course on a prix fixe menu at one of the most famous restaurants in the world, Per Se. An actual course! It deserved it. They served it with a butter made in Vermont that is actually churned by hand by the owners of the farm. I’m not one to normally put butter on my bread, but I can tell you with 100 percent confidence that I would have eaten that entire plate of butter with a spoon. I also had breakfast at a French Patisserie that had an entire wall of different breads and pastries displayed in their store/cafe. The smell when you walked in the door was absolutely heavenly. I don’t think it is a coincidence that they make you wait for a table right next to the display case so that you have even more time to drool over their food. You cant help but plan what you are going to pick to take with you in your doggie bag while you stand there impatiently waiting to indulge in their work of art. Bread is important people, choose wisely.

In this sandwich, I chose to use a peppery arugula to add crunch and a hint of kick. It balances out all the other flavors including the sweetness of the caramelized onions. When you cook caramelized onions, your whole house has an aromatic smell to it. The minute the onion and garlic hit the olive oil in the pan, my oldest son will almost always comment how good it smells in the kitchen. It is not hard to make caramelized onions, you just need time to make them. Slow and low is often a term people use when describing cooking barbecue, but in this case we are talking about onions that will make any dish seem insignificant without it. Honestly, you could put caramelized onions on a bumper and it would taste good.

I think once you try this recipe, you just might look at a peanut butter and jelly sandwich differently. Its simple, yummy and will make you want to eat it like no one is watching.