Grate a Tomato on Your Breakfast Sandwich

I am a terrible gardener, but I still somehow managed to grow a whole bunch of (very small) tomatoes. Those tomatoes are really coming in right now, but they’re simply not big enough for slicing. This is a little tragic, because sliced tomatoes are the foundation of my favorite sandwich (the tomato sandwich, which is made with mayo, tomatoes, salt and pepper, and that is it).

Usually, when confronted with such a bounty, I grate the tomatoes to make tiny tomato toast. Tiny tomato toast is very delicious but, even with a layer of labneh or cottage cheese, isn’t as filling as a fried-egg breakfast sandwich. So I decided to combine the two, and grated some of my small, flavor-packed tomatoes onto my fried egg and cheese.

It’s pretty perfect.

To make this sandwich, toast two slices of white bread, then remove one and place a slice of cheese—either sharp cheddar or white American—on the other. I broil the cheese to get it browned and bubbly, and spread a thick swipe of mayo on the un-cheesed slice.

Grab a little tomato by the stem and grate it directly over the broiled cheese (which helps keep the juices from soaking into the bread). Keep grating until all the juicy gel and seeds and flesh have made their way onto the toast, then toss the little nub of skin on there, too. Slide your favorite egg onto the mayo side, then season everything with salt and pepper.

The raw, fresh tomato pulp functions somewhat like a jam, and somewhat like a condiment. It has the tanginess of ketchup with a lighter, juicier, fresher sweetness, along with the umami you would expect from a ripe summer tomato. It’s just really freaking good.

Can you add bacon? Of course you can, my dears, but try it without first. A tomato, egg, and cheese (TEC?) is a simple summer pleasure—one worth enjoying without the distraction of cured meat (at least once).