SImon Hopkinson shares his recipe for a bacon sandwich with a perfect Christmassy twist.
Christmas is incomplete without smoked salmon, and should you have a few scraps left after the day itself, it’s an absolutely superb breakfast ingredient for the day after.
There’s the obvious classic Boxing Day breakfast of smoked salmon with scrambled eggs, of course.
But for something a little different – and ideal if you’ve only a few scraps left over – then there’s an extraordinary sandwich: the bacon du bedat.
I believe this might be the third time I’ve recounted this singular gem of a sandwich in print. However, I remain happy to speak loudly of it – once tasted, it’s never forgotten.
A Pike in the Basement: Tales of a Hungry Traveller, written by Simon Loftus – a wine writer and trader of legend – and published in 1987, is where the tale of this most original sandwich is to be found. For anyone interested in the peregrinations of a young man yearning for the fine, curious and desirable, this is a real read.
Bacon du bedat sandwich recipe
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 6 thin slices streaky bacon or pancetta
- 4 slices thin-cut brown bread
- Butter
- 1 tbsp mango chutney
- 2–3 slices smoked salmon (or the last scraps from an almost exhausted side)
Method
Grill bacon until crisp and keep warm. Toast bread and meanly spread with butter. Spread each slice sparingly with mango chutney.
Place bacon on toast and cover with sliced smoked salmon with plenty of freshly ground black pepper.
Sandwich together, cut off crusts and slice each in two. Eat at once.
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