This week, I’m in NC (my hometown) hanging out with my bros (so much fun)! So expect to see a LOT of “hearty” meals up on the blog because man, can these boys eat! (I had to snap these photos in record time because they kept eating the props!)
When I asked for their input for the week’s meals, everything they suggested had some type of meat, pasta, cheese, or bread. So to appease them, I am stepping outside my “normal” routine, and whipping up some carb-filled, “teenage boy approved”, meals.
Which, is where these blue cheese burgers come in. This was literally the very first idea that popped out of their heads, “We want burgers…but stuffed with cheese”. So I decided to go all-out and made homemade sesame buns to go along with their gourmet burgers (because, why not?).
Now here’s the thing, I have been trying to find the “perfect” homemade burger bun recipe since forever without any success. (Honestly guys, I might just be an awful bread maker.) But what is (hopefully) the case is that I haven’t stumbled across the perfect one for me, just yet. For these buns, I adapted this recipe by adding 5 tsp. of “dough enhancer” and they turned out rather well. My only complaint was that they weren’t quite as “light-and-fluffy” as I would have hoped. And so, the search continues!
These burgers though? They hit the nail on the head! They are juicy and packed with flavor from the parsley and blue cheese, and the sweet potato fries take it over the top. What is more exciting for two teenage boys than putting french fries on their burger (don’t answer that).
- I. Burger
- 2 packages lean beef
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs
- 2 garlic cloves
- 3 TBS. parsley
- 1 block blue cheese
- II. Sweet Potato Fries
- 2 sweet potatoes peeled and thinly sliced
- 3 Tbs. Olive Oil
- ½ cup Cornstarch
- 1 tsp. salt
- About an hour beforehand, place the sliced sweet potato fries into a large bowl and cover with water (this helps them get extra crispy). Once ready, preheat the oven to 375. In a large ziploc bag (you may need two with this large of a batch) add the fries (drain first) then add seasonings and olive oil. Shake until evenly coated. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 25-35 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fries) or until golden brown.
- In a food processor, combine all of the burger ingredients except for the blue cheese. Pulse together until well combined (if the mixture is dry and crumbly, add milk 1TBS. at a time). Using a large ice cream scoop (or your hands) form about 6 large patties. In the center of each one, use your thumb to make a little indentation and fill with 1 tsp. blue cheese. Cover the hole with the meat mixture. Once finished, add the patties to a skillet (or grill) heated over a medium-high heat. They should take about 5 minutes on each side.
- Serve with your choice of burger buns and top with lettuce, mustard and tomato and top with sweet potato fries.
