Open-Faced Fried Green Tomato Sandwich

4 strips bacon
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
2 medium green tomatoes, each cut into 3 thick slices
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 (6-inch) baguette, split lengthwise
1 cup baby spinach
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Heat the oven to broil.

In a large skillet over medium-high, cook the bacon until crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain. Reserve the skillet, along with any rendered bacon fat in it, for use later.

In a shallow bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, black pepper, cayenne, paprika and salt. One at a time, dredge each tomato slice through the flour mixture to lightly coat both sides.

Return the skillet to the stove over medium-high. When the bacon fat is hot, add the tomato slices and fry until lightly browned on both sides, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Set aside on paper towels to drain.

To assemble the sandwiches, spread 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise over the cut side of each half of the baguette. Place the baguette halves on a baking sheet, then top with spinach, fried tomato slices and cheese. Crumble 2 strips of bacon over each sandwich. Broil on the bottom rack of the oven just until the cheese is melted, about 1 minute

Makes 2 sevings.

Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 462 cal ories; 154 calories from fat; 17 g fat (8 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 43 mg cholester ol; 60 g carbohydrate; 21 g protein; 7 g fiber; 1,353 mg sodium