Bacon Stuffed Blue Cheese Pepper Burger with Summer Grilled Romaine Salad
Ingredients
For the patties:
2 lbs. of ground chuck or round
6 oz. of crumbled blue cheese
12 slices of thick cut bacon
2 tsp kosher salt
6 tbsp of course ground pepper
Salad:
3 romaine hearts
3 tsp kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
6 tbsp colavita extra virgin olive oil
Rolls:
6 French style hamburger buns or Kaiser rolls
3 cloves garlic
3 tbsp Colavita extra virgin olive oil
Vegetable oil for brushing grill
Instructions
Preheat gas grill to medium high
In a skillet place bacon and cook until crisp and brown. Wrap in a paper towel to remove extra fat and place on a cutting board and chop into 1 inch pieces
To make patties:
Combine ground beef, blue cheese and salt in bowl and mix well. Divide and shape
into six equal portions that will fit the buns. With a pairing knife cut a slit into side of each patty to make a pocket. Place 1/6 of cooked chopped bacon into each pocket and seal. Sprinkle both sides of each patty with 1 tablespoon of the coarse black pepper and press to adhere. Set aside.
To make Salad:
Cut each romaine heart in half lengthwise making sure that the root end is intact. Sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle each heart with the olive oil.
Rolls:
Cut rolls in half and set aside. In a small bowl add olive oil and minced garlic together and let infuse.
When grill is ready brush the rack with vegetable oil . Place the romaine hearts cut side down onto grill and grill for 3-5 minutes turning to make grill marks on all sides. Remove from grill and place on cutting board and slice into 1 inch pieces and put into bowl and cover to keep warm.
Brush vegetable oil on grill rack and place patties on rack and close cover and grill for about five mutes per side for medium. Turn burgers only one time. Brush both sides of rolls with garlic infused olive oil and toast during the last few minutes of cooking.
To assemble places one patty on bottom of each bun and place equal parts of warm lettuce salad on each patty. Place bun tops on salad and serve.