Peanut butter and bananas are a staple combination in many households and one of my go-to snacks. During winter, I often add a banana with a spoonful of peanut butter to a bowl of porridge, but I also frequently opt for some peanut butter and banana on toast as an afternoon snack, with a drizzle of honey for some added sweetness.
It’s filling and doesn’t feel too unhealthy as I’m getting essential fibre and protein in my diet in just a matter of minutes. However, I’m really not a fan of overly ripe bananas. While some people prefer theirs like this, especially as they’re often sweeter, I almost prefer mine on the underripe side. So when I saw Nigella Lawson’s take on Elvis Presley’s favourite snack – a peanut butter and banana toastie, I was instantly keen to try it out. On her website, Nigella shared that the recipe originally came from the cookbook ‘Are You Hungry Tonight?’, a collection of Elvis Presley’s favourite foods.
While I can’t quite imagine there are many recipes from The King of Rock and Roll that I’d want to try, I thought I’d give this one a go.
Plus, it was also a great way to use up the overripe banana that had been sitting in my kitchen for the past week, waiting for someone to eat it.
I also had a few slices of M&S farmhouse bread that were about to go bad, and I didn’t want to waste them (especially as it’s such a nice loaf of bread). Given that the bread had started to dry out, I knew it would make for a great toastie and go nice and crispy once fried.
As this was just a twist on a tried and tested combination, I knew I’d like it, but I wasn’t prepared for just how good it was. A seriously elevated take on a staple snack, using salted butter to fry the bread perfectly complimented the sweetness of the banana, and I was impressed by how delicious it tasted.
Nigella’s recipe instructs you to add butter directly to the pan before placing your sandwich in, but I also added some more butter to my slices of bread to prevent it from drying out and burning.
Frying white bread gives it that extra crunch that you don’t quite get with toast, and I fear I might never be able to look at peanut butter on toast in the same way.
How to make Elvis Presley’s fried peanut butter and banana sandwich
Ingredients
One medium banana, preferably ripe for added sweetness
Two slices of white bread
Two tbsp peanut butter (I used crunchy peanut butter as I prefer the texture, and Nigella said you should avoid using the extra smooth variety)
Two tbsp butter (I used salted, which really brought out the sweet flavours)
Method
Pop your bread in the toaster. Keep it on a lower setting, as you don’t want it to be completely toasted before going into the pan. Slice your banana while you’re waiting for this to be done.
Once your toast is ready, spread your peanut butter on one piece and lay your banana slices evenly across the other side.
Place the slices of toast on top of each other and add to a pan with butter, keeping an eye on it and turning once each side is golden-brown.
Remove from the pan and place your toasted sandwich on a plate, cutting it in half and enjoying immediately.