Stuffed Monster Burger

I'm obsessed with kitchen gadgets and I have a basement full of them to prove it.  Some of them are amazing and I use them all the time and some of them are sitting down there collecting dust. I have special brownie cutters, blooming onion makers, ravioli molds, apple bakers, mini pie makers.. just to name a few.  The other day while  in T. J Maxx's I found this cool hamburger mold which allows you to stuff your burgers with whatever your heart delights.  Of course I had to have it especially since it was only $4.99.

It's pretty easy to use but the only problem is that you have to use 3/4 lb of meat for each burger and it takes about 30 minutes to cook on the grille.
The burgers did come out great but they're just to darn big.  I stuffed them with sauteed mushrooms, sauteed onions and thick sliced sharp cheddar cheese.  I guess  you can always cut one burger in half if the giant one is too intimidating.  I told my husband that he and I should split one, "no way" was his reply.  He had no problem eating his entire burger and he'll be eating my other half for lunch tomorrow.

The bottom piece isn't attached so you push up from the bottom to remove the burger.

Add your 1/2 lb of meat.

You press the top and it creates the hole to fill.

There's the hole.

Fill it with your goodies.

Top with another 1/4 lb of meat.

Here are the onions and mushrooms that I stuffed it with.

Cornish Meat Pie

My mother found this recipe in the newspaper back in the late 70s. It’s a meat pie that was served at The Gardner Museum Cafe in Boston. It's a nice combination of ground beef, carrots, onions and potatoes baked in a double -crust pie.  The best way to describe it would be that it's sort of like a meatloaf within a pastry..  I've made a few small changes to the original recipe , cutting back on the quantity of spices..  I was actually able to find the original cookbook on Amazon a few weeks ago and it's loaded with similar recipes, all elegant and easy to follow. 

 

Ingredients:

•  Pastry for a 9-inch Double Crust Pie
• 2 Lbs Lean Ground Beef
• 2 Medium Carrots Diced
• 1 Large All Purpose Potato, Peeled and Diced
• 1 Medium Onion, Diced
• 3 Tablespoons Butter
• 3 Tablespoons Flour
• 1 Cup Beef Stock
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 1 Clove Garlic
• 1 Teaspoon Dried Basil
• 1 Teaspoon Dried Marjoram Leaves
• Salt and Pepper to Taste

   
 Instructions:

  1.  Set the Oven at 350 degrees F.
In a deep skillet crumble the ground meat and add enough water to cover it.  Bring the mixture to a boil, lower the heat and let it simmer gently for five minutes, stirring occasionally until it is cooked though.  Drain the meat into a large colander and transfer it to a mixing bowl.  Break up the meat with a large spoon mashing it against the side of the bowl until is acquired a fine texture.  

2.  In a small sauce pan, combine the carrots, potatoes and onion. Cover them with cold water and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat and simmer the vegetables and simmer until they are tender
( about five minutes).  Drain but reserve 1/2 cup of the liquid. 



2.  In a separate saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.  Add the flour and stir for two minutes.  Add the beef stock, garlic and herbs.  Simmer and stir for 3 minutes.  Set aside.

3.  In a large mixing bowl, add the cooked meat and the sauce.  Gently stir in the cooked vegetables. The mixture should be very moist, but not runny.  If it is too dry, add a little of the cooking liquid from the vegetables.   Add this mixture to the lined pie pan.  Smooth meat and cover with second pie crust.  Slash the top of the pie three of four times.  

4. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes until golden brown.  Leave the pie to settle for a few minutes before cutting it into thick wedges.  Serve at once with a steamed green vegetable or salad.

Print Here
 

Even Better The Next Day........

Caramelized Onion, Gruyère, and Sausage Panini

 I absolutely love panini's.  What's not to love?  Everything your taste buds desire is right there in front of you. For this panini I used Al Fresco Sweet Apple Chicken Sausage with pure maple syrup ,Finlandia Imported Swiss Cheese and Landsberg German Hot Mustard. I only made two panini's so I cut everything in half.
( If you don't have Apple Brandy, you can use concentrated apple juice instead).
This recipe can be seen on finecooking.com  and was submitted by Samantha Seneviratne.


Ingredients: 3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbs. unsalted butter
2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced (8 cups)
1/4 cup Calvados (apple brandy)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
4 cooked chicken sausages
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
4 oz. Gruyère, very thinly sliced
Eight 1/2-inch-thick slices of crusty, rustic bread

Instructions:
Heat 1 Tbs. of the oil and the butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, 3 Tbs. of the Calvados, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/8 tsp. pepper. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are deep golden-brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Add the remaining 1 Tbs. Calvados and the thyme and cook about 1 minute more.

Meanwhile, in another 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 Tbs. of the oil until hot. Add the sausages and cook until browned and heated through, 5 to 6 minutes. Cut in half lengthwise. Keep warm.

Heat a panini press. (Alternatively, heat a nonstick grill pan over medium heat.) Meanwhile, spread the mustard on the bread and assemble four sandwiches, distributing the onions, cheese, and sausage evenly among them.

Brush the outside of the sandwiches with the remaining 1 Tbs. oil. Cook them in the panini press until browned and crisp, 3 to 6 minutes. (If using a grill pan, put a heavy pan on top of the sandwiches and cook, flipping the sandwiches once.) Serve immediately.