Blue Cheese Burger

Hi!

I can't remember where I read this, or who inspired me, but among my endless trawls through the blogs, I saw a blue cheese burger, and I knew, I just knew, that this would be in my future. Yup. Sometimes, these things become crystal clear, and no matter what, it will happen eventually. And this was my time.

So after an incredible (and expensive) weekend, the boy and I were heading home from the market in Hout Bay with a lump of gorgonzola that stole its way into my bag, and it came to me: Blue Cheese Burgers! And what burgers these were! Thick, flavourful and stuffed with a hunk of gorgonzola that oozed from the sides as the middle cooked through...! And, I can tell you know, even better the next day! How'd you like that?!

So, all you #cheesesluts out there (and I know you're watching!), this is another one for you!

The Beef Blue Cheese Burger

Ingredients:
Makes 3 thick burgers
400g beef mince (NOT the extra lean kind, you want a bit of fat, the fat gives the meat flavour)
3 blocks of blue cheese (I used gorgonzola, but roquefort or stilton would work just as well)
Quarter of an onion, finely diced
1 clove of garlic, finely diced
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tbsp tomato and onion chutney
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp ground cumin (optional - will add a bit of spice)

Method:

1. Put all the above ingredients, except the cheese, into a bowl, and mix gently. Don't overmix this, as it makes the meat tough.
2. Form patties, with a block of blue cheese in the middle. My patties were rounded and thick, to cover the blue cheese. One burger each was MORE than enough for my boy and I, and we're greedy.
3. Set aside in the fridge to set, for about 10 minutes. It helps the mince not fall apart when you cook it. Don't ask my why, it just does. Use this time to pour yourself a glass of wine, or make a salad (or both!)
4. Heat some oil in a heavy bottomed pan, and place the patties in the pan to brown. Once brown on both sides, decrease the heat. You want the burgers to cook right through, until still juicy, and only just pink in the middle. They should give off a lot of liquid, since the mince I told you to get has a higher fat content, a lot of this will cook off, which is what you want. As it cooks, the fat flavours the mince, and drains off. Great: flavour and less fat!

When the burgers are cooked through, serve on a roll, or a halved ciabatta like I did, with some parsley baby potatoes and a root veggie relish. If you're feeling cheesy (and you know I was) slice some more gorgonzola, and place it on the lower half of the roll or other bread, and when you place the burger onto it, it'll get all melty, just amplifying the delicious cheesiness! I made an extra one, undercooked it, and brought it to work. A couple of minutes in the microwave and it was perfectly cooked through, warm and even more delicious, as the flavours had had time to permeate. So if you can stand it, this is a make-ahead meal. Form up the patties, cover and stick in the fridge, then cook the next day. Delish!

Enjoy!

{Image source, burger: Live-Laugh-Love, flickr}
{Image source, new potatoes: incurable_hippie, flickr}