Inside Out Burgers

 

 

Every now and then, my husband requests a "man meal", where the star of the show is a big slab of meat, preferable smothered in cheese, the only "vegetable" permitted is corn, and the french fries are made by well, alexia.  The reality is, while I make a mean french fry, I packed our mandolin and food processor, and the idea of slicing perfectly even potatoes and then soaking them to release the starches just wasn't doing it for me.  And the truth is, I haven't had a bad Alexia french fry, so I bought Kyle's favorite- the waffle fries.

 

Since we hadn't had burgers in a while, I thought a good old fashioned bacon and cheese inside out burgher was in order.  The picture is deceptive, right?

 

On the outside, it looks like this:



 

But on the inside:

 

"Helloooooo Nurse!"

 

These burgers look like they're difficult to make, but I promise you, they're super easy. 

 

 

Inside Out Burgers:

makes 4 regular sized burgers

 

You'll need:

• 1 lb 90/10 ground beef (I prefer grass-fed)
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 Egg
• 1Tb Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and pepper
• Onion Powder
• Garlic Powder
• 8 slices of cooked bacon (I really like the applewood smoked bacon from Whole Foods butcher counter)
• 4 slices of colby jack cheese, or whatever cheese you have on hand that melts well

Instructions:

• Heat a large skillet to medium heat.
• Spray the pan evenly with cooking spray.  (You can use a few drizzles of olive oil if you prefer.  I experimented with cooking spray, and it turned out great!)
• In a large bowl, combine the meat, egg, breadcrumbs, onion powder, garlic powder, worcestershire sauce, and a few shakes of salt and pepper.  I mush it all together with my hands.
• After the mixture is well mixed/mushed together, form 4 patties.
• Flatten each patty until it is about 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick.
• Tear the bacon strips in half.  Place them in the middle of the flattened patty. 
• Fold each cheese slice in half or into 4 squares so that it fits in the middle of the flattened patty with the bacon.
• Make sure the bacon and cheese leave a ring of meat around them.
• Gently fold the burger around the bacon and cheese.  This should form a ball. 
• When it looks like a ball, and no cheese and bacon are showing, gently manipulate the meat into a patty shape.  (It doesn't have to be perfect.  Just try to make sure the cheese and bacon are covered.)
• Place in the hot pan.
• Depending on how well you want your burger done, cook it between 2 and 6 minutes per side.  I like my burger Pittsburgh rare, so I tend to raise the heat like a maniac, cook it for one minute per side, and then chow down on that tasty burger like it's my last day on Earth.  The more firm it feels, the more done it is.
• For the love of all things tasty, do NOT push down on this burger with your spatula.  Don't you like a juicy burger?  Leave it alone.  It's cooking.  Walk away.  Good grief does it drive me crazy when people push the juice out of burgers or slice into them the second they're done cooking.  Ugh.
• Serve with whatever toppings and buns you enjoy! 

A quick lesson on corn:

Whole sweet corn is one of the most delicious things on the planet.  There are bunches of ways of cooking it, but this is by far the easiest and fool-proof:

Peel all of the husk off.  Rinse off all the stringy stuff that freaks people out.  Toss it in a big soup pot of boiling water (I prefer my water salted) for 10 minutes.

Serve!