Monster Burger

It might as well be called    Tetetmum Friday, a lame and lousy takeoff from Ruby Tuesday.  An attempt to be funny.  And failing miserably.  Too corny.  Anyway, we dined at Ruby Tuesday's a long time ago and ordered one of their burgers.  I vaguely remember its name having a 'cowboy' or something in it.  It's a heavy weight of a burger with blue cheese, among others.  The waiter asked us if we were sure we wanted this.  We replied in the affirmative and asked why he would think otherwise. He said it had a strong flavor because of the cheese.  Long story short, we got the burger and he asked us if we liked it.  We said "of course, we love blue cheese!"  What does he think about us, simpletons who only know how to eat Kraft singles?  Naddy's Uncle N made sure his nephews and nieces were introduced to the finer things in life (cheese included), and since I am an in-law, that makes me less ignorant about those things as well.  That, or maybe my tongue never rejects anything at all.  Hah!

Anyway, the burger meal happened a long time ago.  But it never left my mind.  When I was craving for some grease, this came back to haunt me.   Burgers.  Blue cheese.  Caramelized onions.  Teasing and seducing, a deafening chant until I gave in.  Only when I decided to do it did they stop haunting me.  Then  came peace and quiet, only for them to come back again in my dreams-- in a more pleasant form, thank goodness!   Food, you make me go crazy!  Happy-crazy.  I think Naddy has realized this a long time ago, that's why my impulses and cravings don't surprise him anymore.  He would think I was sick if I didn't get excited about food.  Oh well, that's me.  Take it or leave it.  Stick with me if you enjoy the ride.  And he's (Naddy) still with me all these years.  :)

Best Compliment:  Nanawu Liking the Fries.

This is another easy meal.  Take it from me, Ms. Easy personified.  Here's what you need for the burgers:  1 lb minced beef, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and 5 dashes of Worcestershire sauce.   Mix with clean hands, shape and fry in butter.  If you are adding bacon to the pile, fry the bacon first and use the fat rendered by the bacon to fry the burgers.  Add more butter for frying if necessary.   To make the caramelized onions, you only need: red onions and a tablespoon of brown sugar.  Melt butter in a pan and add sugar and onions until wilted.  Assemble the burger this way:  Spread some mayo-mustard-cayenne pepper(5:1:1) on both sides of the toasted bun, then start layering.  Place half of the bun on a plate, add some bacon, then the 1/2 lb burger, then greens, then caramelized onions, then blue cheese and top with half of the toasted bun.  And what is burger without the fries?   It's like Naddydaddy without Tetetmum.  Cheesy.  To make the cajun fries, cut potatoes in desired shape, soak in ice water for 10 minutes.  Prepare the batter:  1/2 cup flour, 1t garlic salt, 1t onion powder, 1t salt, 1t paprika and 1/4 c water.  Drain the potatoes and tap-dry with paper towel then get ready to dip and dunk.  Dip the potatoes in the batter and dunk in hot oil.  Lift it out when they're brown and cool in a strainer while finishing the rest.  If you want it saltier, prepare another garlic salt-onion powder-salt-paprika without the flour and sprinkle over the cooked potatoes right after they get out of the hot oil.  As I had extra red onions, I used the same batter and made onion rings as well.  Serve with chilled Bundaberg rootbeer and you are in junk food heaven!

So how was it?  I don't know.  All Naddy said was "like! like! like!"  Facebook much?  Actually, the patty itself was delicious.  Juicy and beefy, no-extender kind of yummy.  The taste is well-balanced.  Meaty (beef patty), salty (bacon and blue cheese strategically placed far apart), sweet (caramelized onions) and a little bitter (greens).  If you can handle a little more grease, by all means butter the buns before toasting it.  Do try this at home and sink your teeth into these fat monster burgers.  Uhmmm-mmmm!