National Cheeseburger Day

Recipes by Food Club

Bacon Cheeseburger Skewers

Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
●  4 slices bacon, cut into 4 pieces
●  1 lb ground beef (80% lean 20% fat)
●  Salt and pepper, to taste
●  4 slices white bread, each cut into 4 pieces
●  16 small squares cheddar cheese
●  2 cups loosely packed green leaf lettuce, torn into small pieces
●  16 cherry or grape tomatoes 
Dipping sauce (optional):
●  1/3 cup mayonnaise
●  3 tablespoons ketchup 
Instructions:

Cook bacon in a skillet over medium high heat until crispy, about 3-4 minutes on each side. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain.

While bacon is cooking, prepare the ground beef. Portion into 16 equal pieces and shape into a small patty about 1 inch thick. Season with salt and pepper.

Once bacon is done, cook beef patties in the skillet until browned and cooked all the way through, and an instant read thermometer inserted into the center reads 165°F, about 3- 5 minutes per side.

While burger patties are cooking, toast bread cubes under the broiler for 1-2 minutes until lightly toasted. Watch carefully so they don’t burn.

To assemble the skewers, pierce a cherry tomato with a toothpick or mini skewer, followed by a small piece of lettuce. Stack a toast, burger patty, bacon, and cheese together and then stick the prepared skewer through it.

Repeat with remaining skewers and serve immediately.

To serve with the dipping sauce, whisk mayonnaise and ketchup together until smooth. 
Store any leftovers in the fridge.

Notes:
●  To make ahead, keep burger patties and bacon warm in a 200°F oven and cover toasts with plastic wrap so they don’t dry out. Assemble skewers right before serving.
●  You can also spread a little of the dipping sauce on the toasts before assembling, if desired.

Grilled Onion & Swiss Cheeseburgers

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:
●  4 (1/4 lb) frozen beef patties (80% lean, 20% fat)
●  1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
●  1 tablespoon olive oil
●  1/2 teaspoon salt
●  1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
●  4 slices swiss cheese
●  4 hamburger buns
●  Mayonnaise
●  Mustard
●  Chopped lettuce 
Instructions:

Preheat a greased grill to medium heat.

In a bowl, toss sliced onions with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Cook onion on grill until they are softened and browned, stirring often, about 10 minutes. 
Set onions aside while you grill the beef patties.

Cook beef patties until charred and fully cooked through, about 4-5 minutes per side. 
Adjust grill temperature as needed. Internal temperature should register 160°F on an 
instant read thermometer.

Top beef patties with swiss cheese during the last minute of cooking.

To assemble burgers, add mayonnaise and mustard to buns and fill with lettuce, beef 
patties with cheese, and grilled onions.

Serve burgers immediately.

Notes:
●  If your grill has wide grates, cook onions in a grill basket or on a greased sheet of aluminum foil.
●  No need to thaw beef patties before cooking.

Smoky Cherry Pepper Burgers

Ingredients

For the Sauce:

1⁄2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons ketchup
1 tablespoon pickle juice
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/8 teaspoon chipotle chili powder or cayenne pepper
For the Cherry Pepper Relish:
1 (16-ounce) jar sweet red cherry peppers, drained
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon olive oil
For the Burgers:
6 frozen beef patties
6 hamburger buns
6 slices American cheese
6-10 slices bacon, cooked until crisp
Salt and pepper

Directions
• Combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Set aside.
• Remove the stems from the cherry peppers and place in a blender or bowl of a food processor. Add the honey and olive and blend until smooth and only seeds remain. Set aside.
• Cook the beef patties on a grill or griddle according to the package directions and season with salt and pepper. Add a slice of cheese to the top of each burger at the end of cooking and allow it to melt before removing from the heat.
• Spread 1-2 tablespoons of the sauce and relish on the top burger bun. Add a beef patty to the bottom bun, top with a few slices of bacon, place the top bun with the sauce on the patty and enjoy.