Pimiento Cheese Toasts with Bacon & Tomato

By cserumga

Ingredients

• 12 slices meaty bacon
• 2 cups shredded yellow cheddar
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 jars (4 oz. each) pimientos, squeezed dry and finely chopped
• 6 tbsp. (3 oz.) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 3 cloves garlic, minced or grated
• 1 tsp. chipotle hot sauce, such as chipotle Tabasco or Frank’s RedHot
• 1/2 tsp. (about 1/4 palmful) smoked paprika
• A few dashes Worcestershire sauce
• 4 slices Texas toast (1-inch-thick slices white bread)
• 2 small heads little gem lettuce or 1 package (5 oz.) baby romaine
• 2 large meaty beefsteak or other tomatoes, thickly sliced
• Salt and pepper
• 4 thin scallions, sliced on an angle

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Arrange the bacon on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until crispy and brown, 15 to 18 minutes.
2. In a small bowl, mix the cheddar, sour cream, pimientos, cream cheese, garlic, hot sauce, paprika and Worcestershire. 
3. Toast the bread on the rack in the oven or in a wide-slot toaster.
4. Position a rack in the center of the oven; preheat the broiler.
5. Slather the toasts with the pimiento cheese. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and broil until the cheese is browned and bubbly, 5 to 10 minutes.
6. Place the toasts on plates and top each with 3 slices bacon, the lettuce and tomatoes. Season the tomatoes with salt and pepper and top with the scallions