Goat Cheese Sandwich with Bacon and Honey-Vinaigrette

So this sandwich is an interpretation of another of our favorite meals in Aruba, this one served at a restaurant/bar called Bugaloe Beach Bar & Grill on De Palm Pier.  If you are staying anywhere from Holiday Inn down to the Westin in Aruba, you really need to check it out.  The view is amazing because the restaurant is on a pier jutting out into the water, and the food is fantastic.  The week that we were in Aruba, Alex probably had 5-6 of these goat cheese sandwiches.  The first time we had the sandwich was in August 2008 on our first trip to Aruba and it was entirely due to our love of that sandwich that we went back to Bugaloe.  They really are that good.  I also really enjoy their grouper sandwich, but I have to find some really good grouper before I attempt that one.

My version of the goat cheese sandwich is a little different from the one they served at Bugaloe, but I think it's just as good.  First, I used baguette, instead of the softer bread they used in Aruba.  Second, I toasted the bread to warm it up and make it crustier, rather than warming the goat cheese while leaving the bread un-toasted.  Third, my honey-vinaigrette is sweeter and thicker than the version they served with their sandwich.  Last, and this was somewhat out of my control, our bacon was thicker and therefore packed more of a salty, porky punch than Bugaloe's.  And our goat cheese was creamier, whereas theirs was tangier (again, not much I could do about that).  With all of that said, this is a seriously delicious sandwich and so long as tomatoes are in season, I highly recommend whipping up a sandwich or two.  In each bite you get salty bacon, creamy/tangy goat cheese, sweet honey-vinaigrette, lettuce and tomato.  It's kind of like a BLT, only light years better.

Kelly, this one is for you!

Recipe after the jump!

Goat Cheese Sandwich with Bacon and Honey-Vinaigrette

INGREDIENTS:

3 tbsp honey

1/4 cup evoo

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp lemon juice

s&p

1 baguette, sliced lengthwise in half, cut into 4 equal-sized sandwich portions, and toasted

10 oz. goat cheese, cut into 1/4-inch thick rounds

2 Roma/plum tomatoes, diced

4 leaves romaine lettuce, cut into 1/2-inch wide strips

4 strips center-cut bacon, cooked and drained, then broken in half

Combine honey, evoo, dried oregano, and lemon juice in a small, non-reactive bowl.  Whisk to combine.  Season to taste with s&p.  Set aside.

To assemble sandwiches, open up toasted baguette portions.  Top with slices of goat cheese, 1 slice of bacon per sandwich, tomatoes and lettuce.  Drizzle with honey-vinaigrette to taste.