The Briny Lemon: Pan-Grilled Cheddar-Bacon Flatbreads

Here’s an easy, quick, and tasty flatbread sandwich you can put together in about 15 minutes—for grown-ups and kids. Call it a cross between grilled cheese and a BLT, without the L.

For this recipe, I used soft, flour tortillas—fajita-sized—because they make wonderfully simple flatbreads that grill quickly and hold their filling, just like quesadillas.

If you don’t have a grill pan, use a large cast-iron skillet. Cook (or grill) the bacon first, wipe out the pan, build the sandwiches, and give each a quick sear to melt the cheese and add smoky char marks on the bread.

A grill press speeds up the melting, but you can also use a large spatula to lightly press the sandwiches as they cook.

Note: Lightly is the key word here. Don’t smash the sandwiches with force—that will pulverize the tomatoes and send cheese all over your pan.

Serves 4

Ingredients

8 slices of bacon, each cut crosswise in half
4 8-inch soft, flour tortillas (fajita size)
olive oil, for brushing
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
8 thin slices stem tomatoes
sea salt

Bacon Ready to Cook

Preparation

Heat a grill pan (or cast-iron skillet) over medium heat and cook the bacon until barely crisp. (Time depends on the thickness of the bacon. Mine took about 7 minutes.) Remove and drain on paper towels. Wipe out the pan of all bacon fat.
Lay the tortillas on a work surface and brush with olive oil. Divide the cheese (1/4 cup each) on the bottom halves, then top the cheese with 4 half-slices of bacon each. Top the bacon with 2 tomato slices each and season the tomatoes with salt. Fold the top halves over the filling and press lightly.
Re-heat the grill pan over medium heat and brush with olive oil. Place 2 flatbreads in the pan and grill, pressing lightly with a grill press or large spatula, until beginning to char on the bottom, about 3 minutes.
Turn the sandwiches over and grill until the cheese has melted, 2 minutes. Repeat with the remaining 2 flatbreads.