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The BLT is an iconic sandwich that was popularised and potentially created in New York during the early twentieth century. Truly this is one of the most popular and tasty sandwiches that can one eat with it being readily available from many a deli or easily makeable at home. However, you may find yourself craving a BLT sandwich but want a more substantial meal than it can provide. If so, then don’t worry, our list of BLT sides are sure to all be delicious ways to make this staple sub more filling.
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What Is A BLT?
The classic BLT sandwich will simply consist of the ingredients bacon, lettuce and tomato in a sandwich. The combination of which provides a wonderfully diverse array of textures and tastes. These include the crispy, salty and savoury bacon, crunchy and fresh lettuce and the juicy, tangy and slightly sweet tomato. Of course, these will all be complemented by the soft doughy bread.
Naturally, there will be many variations of BLT sandwiches that include using toast or crusty bread instead of regular sliced bread to add some extra crustiness. Additionally, you can also put some extra condiments to add some creaminess and extra flavour with some common favourites being sour cream, mayonnaise or honey mustard.
Additionally, other toppings may also be added to make an entirely variant or subvariant of BLT sandwich. Naturally. various different cheeses a popular option. However, a popular variant is the club sandwich which stands for chicken and lettuce under bacon which is similar to a BLT but also includes pieces of chicken in addition to bacon, lettuce and tomato.
What Goes With A BLT?
The BLT sandwich is versatile and well adapted for people putting their own spin on it the simple core ingredients will pair excellently with most other foods. As such, it can be challenging to precisely pinpoint exactly what you should pair with this iconic sandwich.
With this in mind then, in order to narrow down your choices, you should focus on ensuring that the BLT remains the main focus of your meal, or at least shares equal billing. This is because, with certain pairings, there is the possibility that your BLT may end up playing second fiddle. As such, smaller and more simple side dishes will often be your best choice.
That said though, it is crucial to ensure that your sides are still bringing something extra and interesting to your meal. Instead, they should provide tastes and textures that complement your BLT by either contrasting or mirroring those that are already present.
The Best BLT Sides
With the above information in mind, you may already have some ideas for what you’ll serve alongside your BLT sandwich. Equally though, you may also be uncertain of what would make a good choice. However, like with focaccia or other sandwiches such as a meatball sub or egg salad sandwich, there are a variety of wonderful options for you to choose from. For some excellent suggestions though, check out the selection below:
- Potato Chips
- French Fries
- Baked Potatoes
- Potato Salad
- Macaroni Salad
- Fruit Salad
- Onion Rings
Potato Chips
The first of a few potato-based suggestion ideas is the idea of including potato chips (or crisps as we call them in the UK) alongside your BLT.
Potato chips are truly an iconic pairing with sandwiches of all kinds with the BLT being no exception. In fact, along with a drink, a BLT sandwich and pack of potato chips makes for an excellent filling yet light lunch. A concept that is so well established that is the foundation of many supermarket meal deals in the UK.
Whether you prefer fried or baked potato chips, and no matter if you opt for store-bought or homemade they will make for an excellent choice for complementing sandwiches. The reason is that the crispy texture of potato chips brilliantly contrasts with and complements the softness of the bread along with the crispy lettuce and juicy tomatoes. Meanwhile, the crispiness of the bacon and potato chips mirror each other wonderfully.
Additionally, if you add some creamy mayo to the BLT it will also be beautifully complemented by the saltiness of the potato chips. An additional advantage of this as well is that near enough any potato chip flavours pair well with your BLT sandwich. As such, they should be perfect for pairing with your sandwich, no matter what your flavour preference is.
French Fries
Our second potato-based suggestion is a truly iconic side dish to serve alongside near enough any dish is of course a portion of delicious French fries. However, they make for an excellent companion to your BLT sandwich. This is due to how they provide wonderfully crispy and fluffy textures alongside their wonderful and iconic salty and earthy flavours. These sensations will all provide excellent complementary textures and tastes to those of your BLT sandwich.
Some simple French fries with some salt and pepper, or vinegar will pair excellently with your BLT sandwich. That said though, to add some extra subtle flavour and texture they can be modified in a number of ways. One brilliant option would be to toss them in some garlic powder and grated parmesan cheese atop before baking or frying them in order to add extra flavour.
However, some jerk or Cajun seasoning can be added to bring some extra kick to your dish. Meanwhile seasoning with lemon juice to make some Greek-style lemon fries will reinforce the fresh and zesty aspects of your BLT. Additionally, the thickness of your French fries will also change things up as thicker fries in the British chip shop style will be more fluffy whilst your more typical thinner fries will be crispier.
Another idea to put a twist on making French fries is to use sweet potatoes instead of regular ones to make baked sweet potato fries. These sweeter fries will make a delicious contrast to the savoury, earthy and zesty BLT, meanwhile, the more crunchy texture will synergise beautifully. Additionally, sweet potato fries tend to be healthier, as such they will excellently complement your BLT whilst providing deliciously sweet fries that are guilt-free.
Baked Potatoes
As you’ve probably noticed by now, potatoes go wonderfully well with a BLT sandwich. As such, baked potatoes and BLLT also make for a surprisingly excellent combination of dishes. This will primarily be as a result of how the salty, savoury, tangy and fresh BLT ingredients are perfectly contrasted by the earthy flavours, along with the fluffy middle of the potato. Meanwhile, the crispy skin reflects the bacon’s texture whilst contrasting brilliantly with those found in lettuce and tomato.
The baked potato makes for an excellent side in its own right, especially when seasoned in garlic and a coating of butter. Simultaneously though, it can also act as an excellent vehicle for additional fillings that also pair excellently well with your BLT sandwich. Some great examples of this are cheese, other meats such as chicken and some of the other options presented here.
As their name suggests, the most common way to make baked potatoes will often be in the oven. However, using the air fryer is an excellent option for a delicious and low maintenance method to prepare your baked potatoes, When cooking them in this manner, simply rub some russet potatoes in olive oil and salt. Following this, you should cook them for forty minutes.
Potato Salad
Sticking with the potato theme, the German dish, potato salad is another excellent choice for a potato-based side to serve with your BLT.
No matter how you enjoy this classic sandwich, potato salad is an excellent choice for a side dish. The sandwich and salad may share certain flavours and ingredients such as mayonnaise which is a common addition to the BLT. That said, these two dishes are of course very distinctive from one another and as such bring a variety of different flavours in their own right.
From a personal standpoint, potato salad is a favourite side of mine that pairs deliciously with a variety of dishes. However, it goes perfectly with a BLT since it makes a great dish on the side it or an incredible extra topping with the sandwich itself.
The beauty of potato salad is that it is incredibly easy to make from home and can easily be prepared in advance. As such it is a convenient and delicious option to pair with a quick sandwich. However, if you want to make your potato salad slightly more elaborate, there a many ways to modify it so that it will contain a variety of additional ingredients. Some popular options are boiled eggs or celery.
Macaroni Salad
Just like with the aforementioned potato salad, some lovely and creamy pasta salad is a perfect side addition to pair alongside your BLT sandwich.
Many of the other side dishes attempt to somewhat to lean into the taste and texture sensations already present within the BLT. However, this option will bring in some added creaminess whilst also adding a similar sense of tanginess to something like a vinaigrette.
The apple cider vinegar used in macaroni salad, along with the peas, celery and sweet bell peppers all stand out and shine when eaten alongside the chicken salad.
Additionally, bacon, lettuce, tomato and bread make for a truly fantastic partnership with pasta in the culinary world. Due to making for natural complements to each other when BLT sandwiches and macaroni pasta salad are eaten together they make for an iconic combination.
Fruit Salad
Whether it’s for a refreshing dessert after your BLT sandwich or if you want something sweet alongside it, fruit salad is an excellent choice to accompany your main dish in question. After all, serving fruit, particularly apples with pork is a classic combination.
The BLT is an incredibly diverse and flavourful sandwich that is known for being quite hearty, refreshing and surprisingly light. With this in mind then, a bowl of cool and refreshing fruit salad makes for an excellent pairing that mirrors the sandwich just as much as it contrasts.
When planning a savoury fruit salad to have alongside your main meal, a fruit salad that leans into apples and pork combo is a good idea. As such, some sliced apples paired with berries and nuts, a sharp cheddar cheese.
Meanwhile, when planning to have it after for dessert after a BLT sandwich then a mix of particularly sweet fruits is a guaranteed winner. As such grapes, strawberries, pineapple and oranges and other berries will a great choice, with this being especially true when mixed with a light and creamy yoghurt.
Onion Rings
Like the aforementioned French fries, a fantastic side dish for your BLT sandwich is of course a portion of some deliciously crispy onion rings. These provide a wonderful crunch from the onion deliciously along with the crispy taste from the batter. Both of which harmonise with the delicious textures provided by BLT and thereby emphasising the wonderful mouthfeel of this sandwich
Additionally, the onion provides an extra tangy flavour to the meal that synergises with the tomato whilst contrasting excellently with the bacon and lettuce. Meanwhile, the batter can also be used to add some extra subtle flavour with one excellent option being beer-battered onion rings.
Answered: The Best BLT Sides
With the above in mind, a BLT sandwich has a delicious array of side options that it can be paired alongside a BLT sandwich. Whether it’s crisps, fruit salad, potato salad and chips, there are a wide variety of side dishes that you can serve alongside them.
As such, no matter what side option you choose, they will make for a wonderful choice to eat alongside your BLT. So whether you pick one of the options above, something from your own preferences or a combination of the two, you’ll be sure to have a scrumptious sarney experience.
