Mini BLT Sandwiches with Basil Lemon Mayo

Have you ever seen anything cuter than these mini BLT Sandwiches??

And why is it that everything that comes in miniature form just taste better? Seriously. Min corn dogs. Pigs in a blanket. Baby waffles. Sliders. And now, BLTs.
Although, I guess technically I should be calling these a PLT sandwich, since I went the classier route with crispy pancetta instead of standard bacon for this version. I thought naming them as they should be might cause some confusion for those that aren’t familiar with the updated version, so BLT it was.

I recently made these easy bite-sized snacks for a bridal shower I threw a few weeks ago and they were an enormous hit, since I think everyone else shares my sentiments on things that are miniature. They’re pretty much the perfect party food since they’re ridiculously easy to throw together and require no eating utensils besides your hands, and maybe a napkin for the inevitable drippage that’s bound to happen.

I made the “sauce” the day before which is basically just a glorified mayonnaise made up of light mayo (I never use full-fat, trust me, it tastes the same), plenty of fresh basil, olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper. I just threw all of the ingredients into the mini food processor (a blender will work as well), pureed it and then transferred it to an airtight dish until I needed it the next day.

Tomatoes aren’t at their prime right now, so a little trick I use to coerce the juiciness out is to cut them a few hours before assembly and drizzle them with a touch of olive oil, salt and pepper. It might be in my head, but I firmly believe that the salt pulls all of the juices out of the tomato, and almost tenderizes it. I swear, after I do this, my tomatoes taste like they just came off the vine in mid-July.

As aforementioned, I swapped out traditional bacon for pancetta, which I know it is a little bit more expensive, BUT what I do is order it at the deli counter and have them slice it instead of purchasing that pre-processed plastic vat where they keep all the sliced cheeses. Not only will the meat be fresher, but you can control the thickness you want it sliced, and it’s WAY more economical. I think I got 30 slices of thinly sliced pancetta for around $8, which is a steal. All I do is line each piece up on a baking sheet and pop it into a 425 degree oven until they’re super crispy, but be careful, pancetta burns more easily than bacon, so you really need to keep an eye on it.

The sandwiches are held together with toasted whole-wheat cocktail bread you can find at any grocery store and finished off with a few pieces of crisp romaine lettuce.

While you can prepare every single item ahead of time, I don’t recommend actually putting the sandwiches together until the last minute, luckily, they only take a few minutes to throw together and require little finesse or skill.

Cutest.Sammies.Ever.