kaiser rolls

Grilling Menu: Stuffed Jalapeno-Cheddar Burgers and Cajun Sweet Potato Fries

/ TaMara / 6 Comments

Made these tonight, always a great way to grill a burger.

Stuffed Burger Uncut Snap

I make these all the time because they really are easy and a great way to have a cheeseburger without losing half the cheese to the grill. And the sweet potato cajun fries are the perfect sweet, spicy combo.  Grill some peaches, pears or plums and dinner is done. Enjoy.

On the board tonight:

  1. Jalapeno-Cheddar Stuffed Burgers
  2. Kaiser Rolls
  3. Cajun Sweet Potato Fries
  4. Grilled Sweet Corn  (pull husks back, clean off silk, wash, pull husks up & grill-yum!)
  5. Plums

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Dinner Menu: Stuffed Burgers and Cajun Sweet Potato Fries

/ TaMara / 1 Comment

Stuffed Burger Uncut Snap

Thought it was time for some end-of-summer burgers. I make these all the time because they really are easy and a great way to have a cheese burger without losing half the cheese to the grill. And the sweet potato cajun fries are the perfect sweet, spicy combo.  Grill some plums or peaches and dinner is done. Enjoy.

On the board tonight:

  1. Jalapeno-Cheddar Stuffed Burgers
  2. Kaiser Rolls
  3. Cajun Sweet Potato Fries
  4. Raw Vegetable Tray
  5. Plums

Jalapeno-Cheddar Stuffed Burgers

Stuffed Burger Final

Ingredients for each burger:

  • 4 oz ground beef
  • salt, pepper
  • 1/4 to 1/2 tsp crushed garlic (opt)
  • 1 oz sharp cheddar, sliced thin
  • 2 or more slices of pickled jalapenos

Mix salt, pepper and garlic into the ground beef. Form two, 2-oz patties. Place jalapenos on one burger, cheese on the other.

Prep2

Place the two sides together and seal the edges completely. Gently flatten the burger, but be careful because you don’t want the cheese busting out of the center.

Prep1a

The key to grilling or frying these is low and slow. Medium heat seals them and allows the cheese to melt without drying the burger out. I flipped at the 5 minute mark, but depending on the heat, 3-4 minutes may be enough to flip. They’re thin, so the beef cooks quickly, but you want to make sure the cheese melts. I would say minimum 4 minutes per side.

If cheese starts to leak out, flip and flip again as needed. DON’T press down on these burgers while you grill, you’ll have a cheesy mess.

Now the warning. Did I say WARNING? Yes I did. You’ll need to rest these burgers to let the cheese cool a bit. Otherwise you could be biting into a scalding cheese center. You’ve been WARNED.

That’s the basics, now let your imagination run wild. Maybe I should have titled this, How To Stuff A Wild Burger.

Cajun Sweet Potato Fries

  • 3 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed and peeled
  • 1 to 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp Cajun seasoning
  • ¼ tsp cumin (opt)

large bowl or baking dish and baking sheet

Cut potatoes into quarters lengthwise, then cut each quarter into 2 or 3 lengthwise slices. In bowl, toss with remaining ingredients and place in a single layer on baking sheet. Bake at 450° for 15 minutes, turn and bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until golden brown outside and tender inside.

Plums

If you grilled the burgers you can also grill the plums. Slice in half, remove the pits and grill over low heat

Shopping List:

  • 1 lb lean ground beef
  • 4 oz shredded cheddar or jalapeno jack
  • sliced jalapenos (I use pickled)
  • 4 green onions
  • 1 tomato
  • 3 large sweet potatoes
  • 4 large Kaiser rolls
  • Favorite raw vegetables
  • Vegetable dip
  • 4 to 8 plums

Also: cumin, Cajun spice, sugar, salt, pepper, olive oil, crushed garlic

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Burger Week: Cuban Burgers

/ TaMara

By the time we get to this Thursday’s recipe exchange you should have enough burger recipes to wow any backyard grilling party. Let’s get things started. And if you missed it, it all started here with 4 recipes.

Cuban Burgers

  • 1 to 1-1/2 lb lean ground beef
  • 2 tsp jerk seasoning (or more as desired)
  • salt & pepper
  • 4 slices Swiss cheese
  • ½ lb thinly sliced deli ham
  • ½ red onion, sliced in rings
  • 4 kaiser rolls, sliced
  • Dressing:
  • ½ tsp crushed garlic
  • ½ cup salad dressing or mayonnaise
  • 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 2 tbsp dill pickle relish

small bowl

Mix ground beef, salt, pepper & jerk and create 4 patties. Fry or grill until cooked to desired doneness.

In bowl, mix garlic, mayo, mustard & dill relish. To make burgers, spread dressing on both sides of rolls, layer burger, swiss cheese, deli ham and onion. If you want you can place cheese on burgers before removing from heat and let it melt. And I almost always grill my onions, but that’s a personal preference.

And I think we’ll add this to the Back To Basic Series, too.  This week’s recipes can be found here.

Thursday Night Menu: End of Summer Grilling Edition

/ TaMara / 3 Comments

StripedDress

Once again I’m playing hooky on a Thursday. It’s been a stressful few weeks and I’m lucky enough to have good friends who want to go out and play hooky, too. Today I remembered to put together the menu before I took off.

Since it’s been such a crazy week I wanted something simple for the menu tonight. But, just because it’s simple doesn’t mean it’s not tasty. And we gotta get those last few weekends of grilling in before summer ends. If you’re up for adventure, you can try grilling the sweet potatoes on the grill, wrapped in foil or placed in a grilling basket. Also, for those who have requested it, I am working on a Tapas menu, just needs some testing before it goes up. Maybe in the next two weeks or so I’ll post it. Something to look forward to. If anyone else has other requests for menus, let me know, it’s always more fun if I have to go on a scavenger hunt to prep a menu.  And a final update:  my tomatoes are still not ripe.  They sit there, abundant and green, mocking me.

On the board tonight:

  1. Cheesy Burgers
  2. Kaiser Rolls
  3. Cajun Sweet Potato Fries
  4. Raw Vegetable Tray
  5. Plums

Cheesy Burgers

  • 1 lb lean ground beef
  • 4 oz shredded cheddar or jalapeno jack
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp crushed garlic
  • 4 green onions, chopped (opt)
  • ¼ cup diced tomatoes (opt)

large bowl

In bowl, mix together all ingredients until well blended. Make 4 patties, create a hole in the middle of each patty, like a doughnut and then flatten. This will help the burgers cook faster and keep the cheese from burning. Lightly oil your grill, broiler or skillet (to keep cheese from sticking) and cook over medium heat, until cooked through (time will depend on thickness of burgers and temperature).

Cajun Sweet Potato Fries

  • 3 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed and peeled
  • 1 to 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp Cajun seasoning
  • ¼ tsp cumin (opt)

large bowl or baking dish and baking sheet

Cut potatoes into quarters lengthwise, then cut each quarter into 2 or 3 lengthwise slices. In bowl, toss with remaining ingredients and place in a single layer on baking sheet. Bake at 450° for 15 minutes, turn and bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until golden brown outside and tender inside.

Plums

If you grilled the burgers you can also grill the plums. Slice in half, remove the pits and grill over low heat

Shopping List:

  • 1 lb lean ground beef
  • 4 oz shredded cheddar or jalapeno jack
  • 4 green onions
  • 1 tomato
  • 3 large sweet potatoes
  • 4 large Kaiser rolls
  • Favorite raw vegetables
  • Vegetable dip
  • 4 to 8 plums

Also: cumin, Cajun spice, sugar, salt, pepper, olive oil, crushed garlic