Upping your sandwich game with over-the-top tomato

Capital One wants to help you “Elevate the Everyday” so you can do more of what you enjoy doing—even when you’re spending more time at home. We’re bringing you personal hacks, tips and tricks for all the things you love doing—all brought to you by professional tastemakers and trendsetters. 

For Capital One’s Elevate the Everyday series, chef Mason Hereford turns up the taste on a simple tomato sandwich. It’s a gourmet recipe you can easily make at home. 

Hereford is a go-to chef when it comes to making high-quality, delicious sandwiches. His first restaurant, Turkey and the Wolf, is a low-key (but super-tasty) sandwich spot in New Orleans that Bon Appétit named America’s “Best New Restaurant” in 2017. Hereford was also named one of the 2020 James Beard Award nominees for best chef in the South.

Start by toasting some thickly sliced bread with room-temperature butter in a skillet set to medium heat. This makes it lightly crispy on the outside, with a soft center, and creates the perfect sandwich base. 

Then, Mason ups the flavor with mayo that he dresses up with thick slices of heirloom tomatoes and fresh herbs instead of lettuce. 

Don’t forget to add acid to round out the flavor—a squeeze of lemon will work here. 

Raise the texture to new heights by adding crunch with roasted sunflower seeds. 

The end result? It’s all about elevated tomato goodness for you to enjoy at home.

• Buy good bread: Get it from a bakery and slice it yourself. 
• Spruce up your mayo: Try herbed mayonnaise on a ham sandwich or malt vinegar mayo on a fried soft-shell crab sandwich. 
• Get herby: Use fresh herbs in place of lettuce. For example, try a braised lamb sandwich with dill and mint, a tomato sandwich with basil and dill, or a sweet potato sandwich with basil leaves.
• Think crunchy: Try adding chips or nuts to vary the texture.
• Add some acid: Squeeze some lemon or drizzle some vinegar for a bright touch. 
• Bring on the bread: Use a third slice of bread to soak up your sauce. 
• Get weird with cream cheese: For example, try olive, caper, feta or hot pepper cream cheese on an Italian sub, or chimichurri cream cheese on a steak sandwich.