what's more southern than fried green tomatoes? fried green tomatoes with pimento cheese. put them together you'll have a yankee saying ya'll in no time. what I like most about this summer staple is the versatility that comes with making this recipe. the tomatoes can be stacked, like shown here, cut in quarters and served as bite sized appetizers, or feel free to just dive in and eat the pimento cheese with a spoon. (i mean, no judgement here whatsoever).

here's what you need:

'maters:

3 medium green tomatoes, sliced thick
2 cups flour
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. paprika
2 eggs, beaten

pimento cheese:

8 oz. extra sharp white cheddar
8 oz. sharp yellow cheddar
1 small jar diced pimentos (save the juices!)
1/2 cup mayo
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp. dijon mustard
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. paprika
pepper, to taste

here's how to do it

pimento cheese:

grate the cheese and set aside. (very important to freshly grate the cheese for both flavor and consistency). combine mayo, cream cheese, dijon, pimentos (with juices!), garlic powder and paprika. add cheese and mix together. now, taste! add some pepper if needed and check consistency of the mayo-to-cheese ratio to your preference.

'maters:

heat oil in a large skillet (or if you have a small deep fryer, that works too!) until temperature reaches around 350 degrees. if using a skillet, just remember, oil should be about half the height of the tomato slices so you can flip them.

combine flour, paprika, garlic and salt and pepper in a large bowl. beat the eggs and start by dipping the tomato slices in egg first, then the flour mixture. shake off any extreme excess flour and then place (carefully) into the oil. let bubble and fry for about 1-2 minutes per side until golden brown. transfer to a paper towel lined baking sheet and sprinkle some salt.

let the tomatoes cool slightly and stack with layers of pimento cheese in between and. then. dig. in.