I am pretty sure I could just survive on sandwiches and hamburgers. Sure, it may not be the best thing for my health overall, but what is not to love about wither one. I guess when you think about it the burger is really just another form of a sandwich, but to me burgers seem to stand in a class all of their own. There are so many different things you can do with a burger. You can use any type of ground meat or vegetables to make a burger, use all different types of bread or rolls and the toppings are virtually endless. Burgers can be made any time of the year as well, even though they taste a lot better when they are made over a grill. I make burgers about every ten days or so for dinner because it is an easy meal and we all enjoy them, but you need to do something once in a while to change things up. So today and tomorrow I will be posting recipes where I changed up the burger idea slightly to try something new. This first recipe is from Cook’s Country for their All-American burger. I adapted it to be made indoors, but you can easily do this out on your grill for that great flavor.

All-American Burger

1 1/2 pounds 80% lean ground beef

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

8 strips cooked bacon, chopped fine

4 teaspoons yellow mustard

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon table salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Break the ground beef into small pieces in a medium bowl. Add the cheddar cheese, bacon bits, yellow mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Using a fork, toss the meat and ingredients until everything is evenly distributed throughout the meat. Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions and lightly pack the meat into 1-inch thick patties.

With your thumb, make a small indentation into the center of each patty. Heat a grill pan or large skillet over medium heat and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Place the burgers on the grill pan or in the skillet, flat side down, and cook, without pressing on the burgers, for 3 minutes. Flip the burgers over and continue to cook them until your desired doneness without pressing on the burgers, about 3 to 6 minutes. Remove the burgers from the grill pan or skillet and allow them to rest for 2 to 3 minutes before placing them on a bum. Serve with any toppings you desire.

The indentation does serve a purpose. This will help prevent the burgers from rising in the center and leave you with a flatter, more even burger when your are done. These burgers have great flavor (though I didn’t put cheese in mine). Michelle and Sean loved the mix of the bacon and cheese inside the burger and you didn’t have to worry about anything falling out. I loved the Worcestershire sauce and mustard inside the burger for some great added flavor to the meat. I actually made a new homemade onion rings recipe to go with the burgers that I will share with you on Monday.

That’s all I have for today. Check back tomorrow for another take on a burger recipe. The next one will involve a pork burger and I think you will like it, so check for that one .Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!