Make Your Tomato Sandwich Ina Garten-Style With This Mayo Tip

Sometimes, all we want is a simple yet delicious tomato sandwich — especially when the fruit is in season. A typical tomato sandwich simply has thick slices of fresh tomatoes, salt, and pepper on soft white bread. But if you want to take it to the next level and make it even more satisfying, then you need to know this tip from celebrity chef Ina Garten: make your own flavored mayonnaise.

In Garten's tomato sandwich recipe, she uses either an heirloom or an Israeli tomato, as well as white country loaf bread, but she takes a slightly different direction with the mayonnaise. She starts with a high-quality store-bought mayo and adds in basil, lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic, as well as salt and pepper. She uses fresh basil leaves (about 10 to 15, all chopped up), which will give the condiment a tasty freshness. Combined with the other ingredients, she whips up a super flavorful, savory, herby condiment that will make each bite of the tomato sandwich pop a little more than it would otherwise.

As for what store-bought mayo to start with, Garten has cited a preference for Hellmann's or Duke's, so it's best to start with one of those if they're available to you. Notably, Hellmann's mayo was also a staple in Julia Child's pantry. Alternatively, you could make your own homemade mayonnaise to go the extra mile, but it's certainly not necessary — and you may not even want to, if you want to stick as close as possible to Garten's recipe.

To make the very best tomato sandwich, you need to know about all the possible upgrades. Firstly, if you're not a fan of basil, there are plenty of other options for flavored mayo. You could opt for another herb (such as parsley or chives). Or, opt for a mixture — you could mix an herb spice blend directly into mayo for a quicker, easier result. There's also classic spicy mayo to consider, for anyone who likes a kick of heat. Or, if you want to get more inspiration from Ina Garten, she has a recipe for mustard mayo that combines mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, stone-ground mustard, sour cream, and kosher salt.

Outside of the condiment, you can also upgrade the tomato sandwich by adding the crunchy ingredient it deserves: potato chips. Or, for a different crunch option, you could try adding lettuce (such as iceberg or romaine). Additionally, some tomato sandwich recipes include pimento cheese, a classic Southern dish — this will add creaminess, a hint of spiciness, and, of course, tasty cheesiness.

If you do decide to stick with a mayo upgrade, just remember to stick to Garten's rule of thumb: use high-quality mayo. With so few ingredients in a tomato sandwich, the mayo you use can make or break the dish.