Andrew G's Slider Recipe
by Andrew Genaille
(British Columbia, Canada)
I've used this recipe many times on friends and family, and they've all loved it very much.
Also note that, because there is no binding agent (bread crumbs, egg, etc.) you MUST buy your ground meat fresh from a butcher or grind it yourself. Buying it packaged from a store will not work.
Makes six 2 inch wide patties
Ingredients:
- 1 Lb. ground beef
- Dried oregano
- Dried basil
- Cinnamon
- Salt
- Pepper
- Preferred type of cheese (optional)
Preparation:
Preheat a skillet with a thin layer of oil on it. (About medium heat).
While your skillet preheats, mix together your dried oregano, basil, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Use desired amounts, but one small pinch should do it for the cinnamon. Mix this up well.
Next, take your ground beef and cut it in half. Then, take three evenly sized pieces off of each half. Sprinkle a little bit of your spice mixture onto each ball, then gently press down on the pattie. Do not form it with your hands, don't make it a perfect circle. Just gently press down on it until it is flat and roughly 2 1/2 to 3 inches wide. Your meat shouldn't look mushed together and flat, but instead lightly flattened and bumpy. This is perfect.
Next, carefully pick up your patties with a spatula and place them on your pan. The oil should be hot enough by now that it sizzles when the pattie goes down. Now, we wait for it to cook. While you wait, toast your burger buns for a few minutes on both sides, until they are golden brown. This is also the perfect time to get together what you're putting on your burger, if you haven't already.
One flip is enough for these. The first time you flip them, place a few thin slices of your favorite cheese on each pattie, and watch as the cheese melts into the crevices of the beef (which is why we do not make it perfectly flat). Once it is ready, place them on your buns, and add whatever toppings you desire.
If you take a chance to look at the inside of the burger on your first bite, you should notice that instead of the cheese forming a flat layer on the pattie, it will have gone inside the pattie, providing even more flavor!
