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Black-and-Blue Burgers

Source of Recipe

From "Margaritaville" by Carlo Sernaglia and Julia Turshen


Recipe Introduction

"Not your ordinary bacon cheeseburger, these black-and-blue burgers combine spicy black pepper bacon with blue cheese and Buttermilk Blue Cheese Dressing. If you're afraid of flavor, this is not the burger for you..."

List of Ingredients

• 8 slices black pepper bacon
• 1½ pounds ground beef
• 1 Tbsp Margaritaville House Spice Blend (recipe follows)
• 4 burger buns, split and lightly toasted
• ¼ cup Buttermilk Blue Cheese Dressing, plus extra for serving
• 4 large Bibb or green-leaf lettuce leaves
• 8 large tomato slices
• ½ cup crumbled Danish blue cheese


Recipe

Place the bacon in a large cast-iron skillet set over medium-high heat. Cook, turning the bacon a few times while it cooks, until crisp, about 5 minutes. Use tongs to transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Leave the fat in the skillet and set aside.

Divide the ground beef into four even portions and shape each into a patty. Sprinkle both sides of each burger with some of the spice blend.

Set the skillet back over high heat and turn your exhaust fan on. Once it's smoking hot, place the burgers in the skillet and cook until the bottoms are nicely browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Carefully turn the burgers and cook until the second side is nicely browned, 2 to 4 minutes more.

Spread 1 tablespoon of the Buttermilk Blue Cheese Dressing on the bottom half of each burger bun and top with a lettuce leaf and a burger. Top each burger with 2 slices of tomato, 2 tablespoons of crumbled blue cheese, and 2 slices of bacon. Close the burgers and serve immediately with extra dressing alongside.

Serves 4


Margaritaville Spice Blend

• 2 Tbsp onion powder
• 2 Tbsp garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp ground cumin

Place all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk together.

Makes â…“ cup


Buttermilk Blue Cheese Dressing

• ½ cup buttermilk
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• ¼ cup sour cream
• 1 tsp granulated garlic
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tsp white balsamic vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
• ¾ cup crumbled blue cheese
• 1 Tbsp minced fresh chives

Place the buttermilk, mayonnaise, sour cream, granulated garlic, salt, pepper, and vinegar in a large bowl and whisk well to combine. Stir in the blue cheese and chives. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Makes about 2 cups