High-Stakes Snack Burger

I am playing high stakes with my American local burger.The burger is a reflection of the cosmopolitan city Las Vegas has become. Only 10 per cent of the people that live in this area are considered native. It seems most of the people with a United States background have a slider that they grew up eating. This is my version a slider. It is a little bigger so that one might be enough but two will fill you up. I combined a variety of flavors because that is what this town is, a variety of flavors. I hope my gamble pays off and you enjoy my American local burger.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup cream cheese spread, softened
1 tablespoon liquid from South African Peppadew peppers (peppers will be used later in recipe)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives

3 cups thinly sliced sweet onion, peel, cut in half vertically, slice
2 tablespoon Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
3 garlic cloves, crushed or pressed
2 tablespoon Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
2 teaspoons lime juice

1 1/2 pounds ground chuck
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, crushed or pressed
1/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup chopped South African Peppadew peppers

1/4 cup olive oil for rolls and grill rack
10 ounces Havarti cheese, cut into 12 slices to fit burger
12-(2 to 2 1/2 inch round) bakery dinner rolls, split horizontally
3/4 cup Treasure Cave crumbled Blue Cheese or other favorite blue cheese

Instructions:

Preheat covered gas grill to medium-high temperature or prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill with a cover.

Whisk mayonnaise, cream cheese, pepper liquid, and chives together in a small bowl, cover and chill until ready to use.

Place a 10-inch non-stick ,grill safe skillet on grill and heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. When oil is hot add onions and salt to skillet. Cook onions for 4 minutes, stir occasionally, add garlic, and continue to cook until onions have softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Mix Worcestershire sauce and lime juice together in a small bowl and add mixture to onions. Cook for 2 minutes and remove from grill. Set onions aside, covered until later.

To make patties, combine ground chuck, salt, black pepper, garlic, bread crumbs, and chopped Peppadews in a large bowl. Handling the meat as little as possible to avoid compacting it, mix well. Divide the mixture into 12 equal portions(2 ounces or about 1/3 cup) and form the portions into patties to fit the roll.

Brush cut sides of rolls lightly with olive oil. Place bottoms of rolls on a wire cooling rack, oil side down.

When the grill is ready, brush the grill rack with olive oil. Place the patties on the grill rack, cover and cook, turning once, 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until done to preference. Place wire rack with rolls on grill along side burgers. Lightly toast rolls and remove from the grill. This should only take 1 to 2 minutes, watch, do not burn. Place toasted rolls cut side up on a baking sheet until ready to use. Place tops of rolls, cut side down on wire rack.

Two minutes before removing patties from grill, top each with havarti slices. Place wire rack with rolls on grill and lightly toast the last 2 minutes of burger cooking time. If onions need to reheated, set skillet back on grill.

While burgers are cooking, spread a rounded tablespoon of mayonnaise mixture on toasted roll bottoms. Sprinkle each roll with 1 tablespoon blue cheese.

To build burger, top each blue cheese covered roll bottom with a patty and top each patty with a cooked onions, add roll tops and serve.