sorry folks, but i'm on a cheese-stuffed burger roll... haven't tried this one yet but plan to... i might cheat a little and go to my friendly armenian butcher (i live near Glendale, CA that has one of the largest ex-pat Armenian and Greek populations in the USA), and get some already seasoned and prepped ground "luleh" (seasoned ground beef). I also might experiment with different cheese combinations (feta maybe instead of goat cheese?). i would also likely try this with ground lamb rather than ground beef if i were to season the meat patties from scratch. I also might adjust the "surface area" on my version as i'm not a huge fan of burters that stand too tall for you to be able to get a good bite out of it (can an average mouth really open that wide?).

Find this blog entry at the "I Ate That!" site, here.

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A Twist on the Classic American Cheese Burger & Fries

By BEN FRANK | Published: AUGUST 29, 2009

I’ve heard many peo ple say pizza is like sex — even when its bad, you’re still having pizza. That’s how I feel about burg ers. And a good burger instantly sends me into culi nary eupho ria. One of my favorite burger recipes I’ve devel oped over the years is a twist on gyros, the slow-cooked spiced Greek meat typ i cally served withtzatziki sauce. This burger has been lauded by many friends, includ ing one who swears it caused her to go into labor (on Labor day of all days!). But tonight I decided to take this burger to the next level, and what bet ter way than to stuff it with cheese? In addi tion to twist ing the clas sic burger, tonight we also made french fries out of but ter nut squash. They were crispy and dusted with Parmesan cheese and totally tasty! Keep read ing for more pic tures and the full recipe.

Minted Chèvre Stuffed Gyro Burger

Burger:
1lb ground beef
1 tsp. onion pow der
1 tsp. gar lic pow der
1 tsp. dried mar jo ram
1 tsp. ground rose mary
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Stuffing:
1/4 tsp. fresh mint, finely chopped
3oz. chèvre (goat cheese)

Mix all burger ingre di ents in a small bowl until herbs and spices are well dis tributed through out the beef. Divide into six equal por tions, and form into pat ties roughly 4″ in diameter.

With a fork, mash the mint into the cheese until it is well dis trib uted. Divide into three equal por tions and form into balls.

Flatten one ball of cheese mix ture onto a beef patty until flat.

Top with another patty and make sure the edges are sealed. Make a small indention in the cen ter of the burger with your thumb (this will keep the burger from puff ing up and form ing a giant grilled meat ball). Repeat with remain ing beef and cheese. Allow burg ers to rest at room tem per a ture for 10 minutes.

Grill burg ers over medium-high heat for 6 – 8 min utes flip ping once.

Serve on grilled bun with spinach, tomato, sprouts and tzatziki sauce (recipe).

The fries were really easy. Peel and seed a but ter nut squash and cut into french fry shapes. Toss in olive oil, salt, pep per and Parmesan cheese and cook in a 425º F oven for 40 min utes (or until they brown), flip ping once. We also had some grilled corn on the cob which was fantastic.