Since it’s the end of the summer for the northern section of the world map, popsicles popping and burgers grilling, I might add my small contribution to the season while there’s still time, blue cheese burgers, full of cheese in the middle and using the leftover salsa from this chorizo sandwich, my addition to street food last Sunday, which prompted a string of recipes coming to my mind faster than the roadrunner and left me wondering what was the hurry?
Or maybe it’s simply my cooking nature and I’m embracing it. A few days of continuously testing recipes, photographs, books piling up taking over half my available kitchen space, a few posts started so not to loose the momentum and ideas, followed by so much washing of dishes, floor sweeping and marble counter wiping, I ache for a manicure and nothing else. Maybe coffee.
Then the idea that I just need, fervently, to declutter, not my recipe bucket list or my abandoned office space at home, but my life, popped up a few days ago and just made sense, prompted by reading a very simple thought – Holding on to clutter comes from a scarcity mindset, a fear that you don’t have enough. When you are in a scarcity mindset, it becomes harder to reach your goals – my newest addition to my findings page, a clever little tool, sort of a pinterest for quotes.
The clutter in the fridge has become easy to get rid of, these skillet blue cheese burgers a fine example, part beef, part pork, they took care not only of the ground beef and pork sausages but also the stray chunks of cheese, a few slider buns I had made who knows when and four remaining garlic cloves – and isn’t my clay garlic baking ‘oven’ the cutest thing?.
My only regret is the fear of whatever it is you can get from eating raw meat, so I cook my burgers too much, but hey, I always eat what I post, so a juicy burger was good on paper only. That will change when I buy my own meat grinding attachment. Am I really
decluttering?
decluttering?
After the fridge came my closet, or part of it; three large garbage bags later, all I can say is it looks a little neater, but nothing radical, so I’m torn between thinking there wasn’t that much clutter, read: clothes-that-haven’t-been-worn-in-years because that’s how we measure it, right?, or this getting rid of excess is a mind frame, a way of thinking and living. Of course I know the latter is the answer, I’ve known it for years, just used my freewill not to acknowledge it; and now I have to do something about it.
Anyway, in between blue cheese burger bites I’m enthusiastically getting rid of old baggage, which started a few months ago with the flood; after the water had done it’s thing I threw away so many wet boxes of papers and things that I swore I needed, it became twenty-carat-diamond clear they had no space in my life qualifying them for the extra work it meant to patiently scatter each piece of paper around the house hoping they would eventually dry. Do you know it can be days before an insignificant piece of paper completely dries? Sometimes nature does know how to make us wake up. Silver linings, many times I hate you.
The blue cheese gave the burgers a sharp flavor and a small amount of mozzarella made that center melty. If I say it’s a cheese filled burger it better melt when I cut it. If you’re a double cheese type of person, go ahead and add more blue cheese to the top of the burger when you flip it. And a few slices of tomatoes and onions work as well as the salsa as a topping.
Of course, nothing beats grilling burgers outside instead of cooking them in a skillet.
Skillet Blue Cheese Burgers
I suggest you use a large skillet so you can make all the burgers at the same time. And you can warm the buns in the oven too instead of adding them to the skillet. I have the little garlic oven, but some foil works as well.
You can make sliders too, and you will get about double the amount.
Ingredients
- 7 oz 200g pork sausage (no casings) or ground pork
- 14 oz 400g ground beef, with no more than 15% fat
- 4 garlic cloves
- Salt and black pepper
- 4 oz 115g blue cheese, crumbled
- 2 oz 60g mozzarella cheese, sliced
- 1 cup Salsa see recipe here
- 4 burger slider buns
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350ºF and roast garlic cloves wrapped in foil with a drizzle of olive oil, until tender, about 30 minutes.
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In a bowl mix pork, beef and mashed garlic. Add salt (not too much since the blue cheese is salty) and black pepper. Mix very well with your hands for a few minutes; this part is important so the proteins in the meats break down and bind the whole thing together.
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You can also knead it with a stand mixer, something I recommend if you’re making burgers for a crowd.
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Heat skillet over medium/low heat.
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Divide the mixture into 4 equal parts. Take each part, divide it in two, flatten one into a disk and add some blue cheese and a smaller amount of mozzarella.
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Top with the remaining portion of meat and carefully cover the cheese, making sure the sides are sealed. Flatten it without letting the cheese spill.
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Repeat with remaining meat and cheeses.
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Add patties to the skillet, and cook them for about 7 - 10 minutes on each side, until golden.
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Push the meat to one side, stacking them if needed, or transfer them to a tray, and keep them warm in a very low oven.
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Divide the salsa in two. Increase the heat to high, add a drizzle of olive oil to the skillet and half a cup of salsa. Sautée it for a minute or two and add the bottom of the buns if you want to the skillet, so they warm up and soak some of the juices.
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Mix the fresh salsa with the cooked one. Put the burgers with salsa on top between the warm bread and eat.
Today’s four related recipes worth looking at:
Roasted Grape, Blue Cheese and Honey Crostini from Two Peas and Their Pod
Garlic Pork Burgers with Sriracha Slaw from Life Ambrosia
Brioche Buns and Lamb Burgers from Delicious Shots
Blue Cheese Salad Dressing from David Lebovitz
You deserve your gorgeous bleu cheese filled burger for all the great work you do, Paula =) Decluttering does feel good…But I always end up buying just one more cookbook, one more gadget…Ah, well, c'est la vie =)
Your quote about clutter is brilliant and insightful.
oh drying paper sheet… they would turn moldy here. So sorry to hear that you had floods a few months back in your corner of the world.
Your blue cheese burger would make me happy no Paula!
Both my parents had classic "hoarding" patterns. I have always thought growing up in the "drought and depression" played a major part in their obsession. But I do find myself holding onto things I may never use again. And it concerns me that perhaps I am too much like my parents. So bravo for your purge! I am of the opinion that a great cook uses all leftover and odds and ends of food, knowing how to make a great meal from almost nothing. And you have made a scrumptious success with the Blue Cheese Burger!
Sakes alive, Paula! These skillet burgers have me swimming in drool! I love the toppings, I love the melty cheese, and I triple love that you prepared everything in a skillet! Bravo!!
These skillet burgers look so tempting! I too like to warm up the buns in the pan 🙂
I'm generally not a big burger fan but this looks absolutely mouthwatering! I love the blue cheese oozing out of that meat. Delicious! Great recipe Paula and pinning! 🙂
These look amaaaazing!I will definitely be trying salsa on my next burger
I really want to try blue cheese in burgers, that is brilliant my friend 😀
Cheers
CCU
Oh I need you to come help me declutter…I definitely save to much. 🙂 I love blue cheese stuffed burgers are your version with the pork added sounds terrific.
Oh… my… goodness…. those look so amazing Paula. I want one right now. Seriously. (and when you are done with your house, can you come declutter mine?! lol)
We have way, way too much clutter too. We get rid of stuff and new stuff pops up in its place! Weird. 😉 These burgers look great – such a great dish, and so well prepared. Good stuff – thanks.
Paula,
I am so behind reading all my favorite blogs. . I have all of your posts saved. . ready to read. . and now I know why you published so many brilliant, delicious recipes!! As always, I love this post . . not just the freaking mouth watering photos and recipe but it makes me think. . and I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. . thinking about what our lives are going to be like. . what I need to do. . how I need to prioritize things, and focus on the important things or "declutter" 🙂 both mentally and physically. . just wish I had one of these ooey gooey cheesy burgers to keep me company! 🙂 yummmmm!
Paula…blue cheeseburgers are my favorite burger. But I love how you used a mix of beef and pork…they look AMAZING! I love your thoughts on de-cluttering. I can't tell you how many sets of odd dishes and utensils, cookbooks, linens, etc are all around my family room! I need to move forward! : )
I actually stopped and stared at one of the photos for longer than I care to admit. Seriously best looking burger I've seen in a long time.
Those photos! That cheese! Those burgers! Pure tasty perfection in this post here.. yum!
Awesome! The pic of the oozing cheese is so appetizing.
Where is the salsa recipe? I like that it is warmed and then some room temperature salsa added – is the salsa something other than a good store salsa?
Thanks for pointing that out, it's fixed. Now you have the link!
Wow!!! Need, want, have to have these now!
Now that is a burger! I love the oozing cheese and salsa combo. Happy cooking and have a super weekend. BAM
Paula, I love to throw things away. Once I get started I can't stop. The hard part is getting started! My husband will keep everything but I always have a cleaner mind when I'm finished. Having a burger like this waiting for me would make me work faster and probably throw away more!
You have inspired me to start decluttering my house….but I just need to have one of those burgers first 🙂
We used to call burgers like these "surprise burgers" when I was growing up. Mom would put all our favorite toppings in the middle and sometimes you got your favorites, and sometimes you got your brother's. I think it was her way of not having us be picky about foods. To this day, all four of us boys eat everything! I love the blue cheese in these and the use of salsa on top. I have never cooked a burger in a skillet – I have a nice cast iron one, too – I should try it! ~ David
I love your blue cheese burgers…totally drooling over those 'life-like photos'!
I'm so sorry to hear that you're still dealing with the aftermath of the flood. It's been ridiculously rainy here so in a small way, I can relate to the time it takes for paper to dry out (I'm pulling sodden mail out of the box on a daily basis, and all of my invoices have partially dried then ripped. I can in no way relate to the gravity of what you're experiencing though. You amaze me, as your strength and resilience shine through in everything you write. My husband would love these burgers. He adores meat and blue cheese… particularly if mushrooms are added too! Hugs to you lovely xx