Homecooked Burgers and Happy Meals

I don’t own an outdoor grill, but it doesn’t stop me from having a good burger. I made up a great tasting batch of burgers using a grill pan and a heavy cast iron skillet. The one you see above had a chunk of goat cheese in the center…ooh baby was it GOOD!

HERE’S ALL YOU NEED TO DO

• 1 pound of lean ground beef
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
• goat cheese for filling
• cheddar or American cheese slices
• a small bag of frozen crinkle fries

Preheat oven according to the directions on the crinkle fries bag.
Heat up a large grill pan, sprayed with high heat non-stick spray, on medium high.

In a medium bowl, mix the seasonings, not the goat cheese, into the ground beef, then shape into large thin patties. I’ve learned to make the patties an inch larger than the diameter of the bun. The patties always shrink up to just the right size.

Place patties on hot grill pan then reduce heat to medium or medium low. You’ll get some smoke & popping at first so stand back. To get good even cooking and grill marks, set a cast iron skillet on top of the patties and cooked for 4 to 6 minutes on each side.

While you’re waiting for that second side to cook, start baking the crinkle fries. Finished patties can be put in a small roasting pan, covered with foil and kept hot in the oven until it’s time to eat.

For the grown ups, put a large spoonful of goat cheese in the center of a patty, and give it a sprinkle of fresh ground red pepper flakes then top it with another patty. Press the edges together so the cheese doesn’t ooze out while cooking.

With the cheese filled patties, cook them on medium low heat and cover with the cast iron skillet turned upside down over them. Make sense? Use the skillet like a lid cover and not a pressing tool.

After cooking them for 5 minutes on each side, press down on the patty with a spatula to make sure the juices run clear. I don’t know about you, but we like our burgers fully cooked around my house.

The fries should be finished by now, so take them out and set aside. On the kid’s patties, lay on a cheese slice to start melting while the bread was toasting.

I don’t usually have traditional buns on hand, so I toast up whole wheat sandwich bread. (Nobody misses the buns.) Get out your favorite condiments, pickles and such and you’re ready to eat!

My kids love this simple home cooked happy meal. Come to think of it, I’ve NEVER needed to bribe them with a toy to make them eat it all. Hmm, that’s interesting. Good food doesn’t need a toy.