The powerful marinade on the strips of aubergine gives them a complex, savoury flavour and cooking them in this way allows them to crisp up and is complimented by the creamy avocado mayonnaise.
Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan) mark 4. Make the marinade by combining all ingredients in a small saucepan.
Step 2
Cut the aubergine in to quarters lengthways. Slice into long strips, about 3mm (1/8in) thick, and you should end up with around 24 strips. Place the strips on a large baking tray lined with baking parchment and bake for 15min.
Step 3
After 15min, turn the aubergine and brush with half the marinade; return to the oven for a further 5min. Heat the remaining marinade over a high heat and bubble for 30sec-1min, until slightly thickened and the flavours have intensified.
Step 4
Remove the aubergine from the oven, increase the heat to 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6 and brush the slices with the reduced marinade. Return to the oven for a final 5min, making sure to keep an eye on them as they can begin to catch quickly. Remove from the oven and set aside on a wire rack while you prepare the other elements of your sandwich.
Step 5
To make the mayo, place all ingredients in a small food processor along with a generous pinch of salt and pepper and whizz until smooth.
Step 6
Assemble the sandwiches by placing a few lettuce leaves on the bottom of one slice of bread, followed by a few slices of tomato, followed by the aubergine bacon and a generous smear of avocado mayo. Top with another slice of bread and enjoy!
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
