Happy New Year :: Fried Egg B.L.T. w/ Lemon Aioli

Happy New Year!!!  Can you believe it, 2010?  

A. and I spent the holidays, rang in the new year, and celebrated my b-day (yay! happy b-day to me!) in Miami.  Two weeks of lounging around, lots of eating (way too much!), time with both of our families... and of course: a little sun!  

But after a wonderful vacation,  we are back in NYC in the most frigid weather I can remember. Boohoo :-(   

Well today, my wonderful friends - S. and D. - took me on a birthday lunch to The Smith.  It was the perfect post-vacation cheer-up!   :-)  And I had the most delicious sandwich: a BLT.   Not a regular BLT... it was topped with a fried egg, smothered in a lemony aioli, all on a sourdough bun.  Egg on a BLT?  Yum!!!  ...And the lemon aoili was so perfect, much better than plain mayo.

It was so delicious, I came home and decided to re-create it for A.  He loooved it!  What's not to love about crispy bacon?  I added a little extra lemon to my aioli recipe, and it came out perfect.  The recipe will make about half a cup of ailoi, it keeps well in the fridge so you can enjoy it on other sandwiches or as a dip for fresh veggies.

Ok, so I know that this isn't exactly new years diet friendly recipe, but try using turkey bacon and a sliced hardboiled egg white (instead of fried egg), for a lower fat version.

Enjoy!

FRIED EGG B.L.T. w/ LEMON AIOLI

Fried Eggs (I like the yolk slightly runny)

Crispy Bacon

Sliced Tomatoes

Fresh Sourdough Rolls, lightly toasted

For Lemon Aioli:

2 egg yolks

2 garlic cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons lemon juice

3/4 cup olive oil

Combine the egg yolks, garlic cloves, salt, mustard, and half the lemon juice.  With an immersion blender  or food processor, pulse until creamy and garlic is finely chopped.  While continuing to mix, add the olive oil a few drops at a time, then continue to add in a steady, slow stream.  The mix will start to thicken.  Continue to process until fully combined.  Taste, and season with remaining lemon juice to taste.  Keep in the fridge for 1 week.

To assemble the sandwich, spread the aoili on both sides of the bread.  Layer the fried egg, bacon, tomatoes, and lettuce.