Joanna Gaines' BLT Gets A Fresh Kick With Homemade Herby Mayo

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Some people may look at classic sandwiches like the BLT and think, "Boring." But they obviously haven't tried upgraded versions of the lunchtime legend. In particular, you can boost the bacon-y sandwich with a punchy condiment straight from page 77 of Joanna Gaines' "Magnolia Table" cookbook: Easy Herb Mayo. The celebrity chef, home, and kitchen guru's mayo is the perfect blend of vibrant, finely minced herbs, citrus, and spices that balance and soften the fattiness inherent to the condiment, as well as bacon. 

In Gaines' Easy Herb Mayo recipe, the chef recommends using a blend of chives, dill, and parsley, along with salt and pepper, smashed chopped garlic, sweet paprika, and lemon juice. This combination of herbs gives the mayo an undeniable brightness that works flawlessly to instantly elevate the sandwich. But you can certainly get creative in the kitchen and sub in whatever herbs you prefer or have on hand. In fact, flavored mayo is a great way to use up leftover herbs from that homemade pesto recipe or after an abundance of growth in your garden. For instance, mixing julienned basil into your mayo can pair nicely with the tomato portion of the sandwich, imparting an Italian twist. Chopped mint in the herb mayo can add an unexpected freshness to cut through the bacon's fattiness, and it works well with unconventional BLT toppings like sweet, juicy melon.

In addition to giving a traditional BLT sandwich a touch of brightness and zest with herby mayo, as inspired by Gaines, you can also get creative with the sandwich format and toppings. While we're not asking you to make your own mayo from scratch (though if you'd like to, be our guest), you can easily incorporate some simple additions and swaps for a truly upgraded sandwich. For instance, to make a sweet heat BLT, brush the bacon with hot honey before baking it in the oven until brown and crispy. For extra smokiness, replace the sweet paprika with smoked paprika in the herbaceous mayo. Then lather it atop toasted bread before layering on the bacon, tomatoes, and lettuce. Switch up your veggies, trading regular iceberg lettuce for spicy arugula or spring mix to add additional earthy depth that builds upon the parley, chives, dill, or any other herbs in the mayo.

For her signature BLT recipe, Gaines uses rustic white bread, but you can feel free to play around with different varieties of good, hearty bread like sourdough or rye. For a lighter take on the sandwich, prepare it as a wrap or make a flatbread BLT. Or transform the classic sandwich into a salad, serving it with the herb mayo as dressing. Once you try out fresh kicks to the tried-and-true sandwich's condiments, it's likely your mind will open to a whole host of tasty refresh opportunities.