Move over, pumpkin spice. I’m here to argue that summer has the best classic dishes of any season, and that’s largely thanks to one nostalgic dish that defined my childhood: the tomato sandwich.
Growing up, it was on regular rotation at our house the moment tomatoes started showing up at the farmers market or in mom’s garden. Thick slices of Bradford tomatoes, soft white sandwich bread, Duke’s on both sides, and a sprinkle of salt. That’s the classic.
But down in Loretto, Tennessee, where my extended family is from, things are done a little differently. At our reunions at Joe Wheeler State Park every other summer, there’s always a crowd in someone’s hotel room, passing around tomatoes and spreading real butter—never margarine, my mom would remind you—on slices of Granny’s homemade bread.
Somewhere along the way, I started combining the two traditions: mayo on one side, butter on the other. It may be a little controversial, but it’s the only way it’s done around here.
Classic Tomato Sandwich (With a Simple Twist)
Ingredients
- 2 slices soft white sandwich bread or good-quality Italian or French-style bread
- 1 ripe summer tomato Bradford if you can find it, thickly sliced
- 1 tbsp Duke’s mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp salted butter softened
- Flaky or kosher salt to taste
Instructions
- Choose your bread—either white sandwich bread or Italian or French-style. Don’t toast it.
- Spread Duke’s mayonnaise on one slice of bread, all the way to the edges.
- Spread softened butter on the second slice.
- Arrange thick slices of tomato over the mayo-covered slice, overlapping slightly.
- Sprinkle generously with flaky or kosher salt.
- Serve with grilled corn or potato chips.
