Fried Avocado Sandwiches with Bacon and Homemade Lemon Aioli

Kevin doesn’t eat sandwiches for dinner – or so he says. But this is a serious sandwich. So serious in fact, that Kevin actually approved of it for dinner – which never, ever happens. If I served him the fanciest sandwich made with truffle butter, perfectly rare roast beef, and gooey brie cheese on fresh artisan bread (um can you say YUM?!) I think he’d still scoff at it – although I might have to try that one out on him just to test the waters. I’m still trying to figure out what he has against them, but it’s most likely a lost cause. Needless to say, I’ve learned through our time together that usually it’s best to thwart the sandwich for dinner thing – except in the case of this serious sandwich.

So let’s talk about the components of said serious sandwich. First up – fried avocado.

Have you heard of this yet?

It’s one of those things that has been floating around the blogosphere for a while now – I’ve been seeing pictures of avocado “fries” everywhere from pinterest to foodgakwer. And while I think the idea is inventive and sounds good in theory, I wasn’t confident I could eat more than a couple in one setting.

Fast forward to a lunch I was at with my family a week or two ago. As you can imagine my peeps love food just as much as I do – especially my Mom and Uncle Kenny. We were deep in conversation about different foods we love when my Uncle brought up the topic of a stellar avocado sandwich he used to have back in California. I can’t remember the exact composition of the sandwich (Kenny, help me out here) but if I recall, it incorporated lots of ripe avocado, grassy sprouts, and tomatoes. During this conversation my mind kept drifting back to the same avocado fries I was previously skeptical about. I thought, maybe instead of eating them as “fries” I could incorporate the same idea into a sandwich similar to the one Kenny described.

And the fried avocado sandwich was born….

Next up in our sandwich making process – homemade lemon aioli and bacon.

I mean, I don’t even need to explain bacon to you, do I? Bacon belongs in ALL sandwiches – it’s a fact.

Now, lemon aioli – without this – there is no sandwich. This aioli makes the sandwich – I know, I know it’s called a fried avocado sandwich, but the aioli, oh the aioli – how I love thee.

This stuff will take any plain sandwich from drab to fab instantly. Plain turkey sandwich? Add lemon aioli. Grilled cheese? Add lemon aioli. Hamburger? Why yes, slather on a little lemon aioli.

Here’s how I made it:

Egg yolk is dropped into the bottom of blender, along with a little lemon juice, lemon zest, and grated garlic. Turn the blender on and then very slowly drizzle in a mixture of olive oil and canola oil until it becomes a homogenous mixture that looks similar to mayo. Season to taste with more lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Side Note: I like to use a combination of olive oil and canola oil because the olive oil is healthier but has a stronger olive-y taste while the canola oil has more of a neutral flavor. It’s totally a personal decision though.

Lastly – the norm sandwich accessories.

Peppery arugula for a little kick and color.

Juicy beefsteak tomatoes sliced super thick.

The best whole-grain bread you can find. The nuttier, the better. Oh, and slathered with butter and toasted. 🙂

Super serious sandwich, complete.