Yield: 8 sliders

Beef Cordon Bleu Bacon Apple Fritter Burgers #BurgerMonth

Beef Cordon Bleu Bacon Apple Fritter Burgers #BurgerMonth

Ingredients

For Burgers:

  • 2 lbs. extra lean ground beef
  • 16 Tbl. bleu (or blue) cheese ([i]*see note[/i]), 2 Tbl. per burger
  • [i]Dish One:[/i] 1/2 cup flour (enough to lightly coat outside of each burger) mixed with 1/2 tsp. each: salt and pepper
  • [i]Dish Two:[/i] 2 well-beaten eggs
  • [i]Dish Three:[/i] 1 cup Italian-seasoned dry breadcrumbs mixed with 1 tsp. salt

Topping Ingredients:

  • 1 stick Minerva Dairy Smoked Maple Wood Butter, 1 Tbl. per burger melted on griddle pan
  • 24 very thin slices boiled picnic ham (3 slices per sandwich), about 12 oz. to 1 lb.
  • 1 packed cup (4 oz.) freshly grated fontina
  • 1/2 cup mozzarella & provolone blend shredded cheese (I used Sargento)
  • 2 cups angel (fine cut) cole slaw mix, (or just a palmful per burger)

Creole Mustard Maple Mayo Sauce:

  • 1/2 cup regular heavy mayo
  • 1/8 cup maple syrup
  • 1 Tbl. creole mustard, (*I used Zatarain's)

Instructions

  • In small bowl, whisk together mustard-maple-mayo sauce ingredients until well mixed and creamy. Cover and chill.
  • In three pie plates or shallow bowls, mix together the seasoned liar in one, the beaten eggs in the second, and the seasoned bread crumbs in the third.
  • Divide meat into 8 equal portions, and make two small thin patties out of each section. Top 8 with blue cheese, then top each with a second patty, seal edges WELL making sure there are no cracks.
  • Coat each side lightly in the seasoned flour, then coat well with beaten egg letting excess drip away, then coat well with bread crumb mixture patting on. Place onto a waxed or parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
  • Heat a large deep frying pan with about 1 1/2 - 2 inches of oil and heat over medium heat. When oil is hot, reduce to medium-low heat and carefully add 2 - 3 burgers. Fry until golden brown on both sides, turning once or twice, for about 7 - 9 minutes for "done all the way through". (Less for a little pink inside.) It will start off slow, but then cook much more rapidly towards halfway through and especially at the end. It will end up done inside, the cheese melted and gorgeously browned on the outside. *I only recommend doing this with lean, quality ground beef, as cheaper blends may contain too much water. Place cooked burgers onto cooling rack placed over a baking sheet.
  • While burgers are resting, melt individual tablespoons of butter onto a griddle pan and melt. Make crunchy piles of ham (3 slices each) on top of melted butter and cover with a domed lid. Fry over medium/medium low heat until cheese has fully melted and ham is lightly crispy on the bottom.
  • While ham is cooking, split open fritters, place small palmfuls of slaw on the bottoms and top with a burger patty. Remove ham piles with a spatula and place on top of patties. Ladle spoonfuls of sauce over the the tops, place on fritter tops, and enjoy!!

    • Notes

    "Bleu" cheese refers to imported, while "Blue" cheese refers to domestic cheese made in the U.S.A. (such as Maytag, etc.), and both of course work equally well.
    *You can reuse the same oil that you fried the fritters in, as the fritters leave the oil with barely any bits left behind at all.