With Julia out of town on a mini-vacation, I decided to take advantage of that fact and make something I have wanted to try for some time now. Not that I think she would dislike it, she would probably just call it ‘too rich’. And rich, it most certainly is !
I have had all kinds of cravings for liver based food recently, and using the braunschweiger in this recipe met the desire. Combined with the fatty bacon and the strong blue cheese, you will know when you have eaten this burger!
Ingredients (per burger)
- 1/2 pound ground beef (80/20)
- 1/3 inch slice (about 1 1/2 ounces) of braunschweiger
- 3 strips of bacon, cooked
- About 1 1/2 ounces of blue cheese, crumbled
- 2 tablespoons of butter, melted
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Take the 1/2 pound of ground beef, and split it into 2 equal parts. Form each part into a 1/4 pound patty. Try to make the patties on the thin (1/4 inch) side. Take the braunschweiger and center it on one of the patties. Then top that with the second patty, completely sealing the braunschweiger in between. You want that juicy liver goodness in the center.
Salt and pepper the burger to your tastes and then brush both sides of it with the melted butter. Refrigerate the burger, so the butter gets into the meat and congeals.
Grill the burger as you normally would, but remember, it is a 1/2 pound of meat, so it may take a little longer than normal. Do not worry about the braunschweiger in the middle – it is already cooked. When the burger is right off the grill, and still very warm, top it with the bacon, then the blue cheese crumbles, and serve on a toasted sandwich roll. I found the fried sweet potato nest to be an excellent accompaniment.
ckentmills / TASTE 