The Old-School Sandwich Ina Garten Serves To Celebrate Fourth Of July

Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa, culinary queen, cookbook author, and entertaining doyen, is an obvious go-to for classic holiday recipes (like her three-ingredient New Year's Eve dish). On the opposite side of the calendar year, though, she celebrates America's birthday a little differently. She posted what she calls "the best Fourth of July dinner" on her Instagram account: Connecticut lobster rolls, an old-school sandwich that may have originated from a restaurant in Milford, Connecticut in 1927. "Cold Lobster Rolls are a classic summer meal," she wrote in the caption, "but when I discovered Connecticut Lobster Rolls, there was no going back."

The difference is that instead of the Maine-style lobster rolls, which are served cold, the Connecticut version is served warm, with lobster chunks and celery sauteed in an herby butter mixture. Garten spoons this mixture onto New England-style rolls that are pan-toasted and browned in a skillet with butter until the exteriors are beautifully darkened. The whole cooking process doesn't take long, but with the addition of bright green herbs like dill and parsley, as well as the celery mixed in with the succulent pinky-red and white lobster meat, it's a feast for the eyes as much as the stomach. What a way to celebrate the Fourth of July!

Because Connecticut lobster rolls are served warm, you might want some cooler sides to contrast. Ina Garten herself, in her Instagram post, suggests "a little coleslaw from the deli," as well as some potato salad to accompany the seafood sandwiches. Garten's boozy, non-creamy French potato salad would also add the perfect acidic element to your plate.

You might also create contrast not just in terms of temperature, but in richness, too, with a bright, acidic tomato salad to offset the butter-friendly sandwich. Depending on what part of the U.S. you live in, tomatoes might already be in season — and if so, you should always source them as close to where they were grown as possible. Cut them into chunks for a simple summer heirloom tomato salad, or add sweet yellow onion, fresh basil, and olive oil (you really don't need much when the ingredients are high-quality).

You can also play off the natural sweetness of the lobster, as well as its more savory elements, with some sweet corn, prepared however you prefer. While it's definitely good eaten right off the cob, you could also fix up a fresh sweet corn salad.