Q: What do you call cheese that isn’t yours?
{wait for it}
A: Nacho cheese! …….OH SNAP!
This joke still cracks me up, yo! I realize my humor is like a six year-old who has just discovered there are jokes inside the Laffy Taffy wrappers. I remember some of the jokes were cute or funny, but some were . . . well . . .*crickets*.
You’d think the writers of Laffy Taffy jokes would test out their jokes on an audience to see if they were funny or not before they went to press. Wait. Do you think there’s an actual joke department? I wonder if they have red staplers (Office Space anyone?). If I was a writer, I would stop a kid on the street, say the joke, and if the kid chuckles, boom. It’s a go.
Thankfully, the recipe I’m sharing with you today didn’t need to go through a litmus test. Two of my favorite foods to eat are nachos and burgers. If I could live in a pub with delicious bar food, pints of beer, and not gain a pound nor look like an alcoholic, I would be totally game.
One of my favorite things to do when I’m cooking is to combine different food types and flavors together. If you saw my post last week featuring braised beef with olives and rice noodles, I blended two different world cuisines’ together. I created Spainasia. It’s a thing.
Anyways, while I was piddle-farting around in the kitchen, I had a made craving for nachos. I was trying to think of something that could go alongside nachos, but nothing was coming to mind. Until a comic-book lightning bolt struck my brain. Thus, the nacho bacon burger was born.
Could there be anything better than a delicious beef burger piled high with crispy bacon, melted-gooey cheese, jalapenos, and pico de gallo?
I rest my case.
for the burgers:
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork
salt and pepper
for the bacon:
8 slices thick cut bacon
for the cheese:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk
2 cups pepper jack cheese, shredded
salt and pepper
avocado slices, garnish
pickled jalapenos, garnish
pico de gallo, garnish
for the burger:
In a medium bowl, mix together beef, pork, salt and pepper. Form four patties. Preheat a grill pan to medium-high heat and grill burgers about 5 to 6 minutes on the first side. Flip and cook another 4 to 5 minutes on the other. Cook longer for more well done. Set burgers aside to let rest before plating.
for the bacon:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Place 8 slices of bacon on baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes or until crispy. Remove from oven and place on a plate lined with a paper towel Set aside.
for the cheese:
Preheat a small saucepan to medium-low heat. Slowly melt butter and gently stir in the flour. Let the flour cook off for about 30 seconds. Gradually whisk in the milk and cook for about 5 minutes or until it coats the back of a spoon. After it's thickened, gently stir in the pepper jack cheese. You'll want to season it with a little salt and pepper. Also, wait until it's cool to spread it on your epic burger!
to serve: Place burger on bottom bun. Pour cheese over top and garnish with rest of ingredients and bun. EAT IT UP!
the cheese recipe from Food and Wine magazine
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