Pimento Cheeseburgers

Remember when I said that the SBD should be renamed the "Cheese Lovers Diet"??? I wasn't kidding. Okay, so technically this is not a SBD recipe per se, but my friend Claire modified it by nixing the bun. The husband and I put the kids to be and then savored these burgers over a quiet dinner. We were both in love with the ooey-gooeyness of these yummy patties. The only word of caution that I care to mention about these burgers (or really South Beach in general) is make sure you are eating plenty of veggies with your meat and cheese. If you get my drift. Ahem. Also, make sure everything is lower in saturated fat to cancel out all of the guilt for eating tons of meat and cheese. We used low fat cheese and very lean meat for these, and they were still very decadent. These were fantastic!

Pimento Cheeseburgers
Adapted From: The Best of America's Test Kitchen 2011: The Year's Best Recipes, Equipment Reviews, and Tastings (Best of America's Test Kitchen Cookbook: The Year's Best Recipes)

Ingredients:
6 ounces extra-sharp 2% cheddar cheese, grated fine (about 1.5 cups)
1/3 cup drained jarred pimentos, chopped fine
2 ounces low-fat cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1/4 cup whole wheat panko bread crumbs
1/8 cup whole milk
1-1/2 pounds 93% percent lean ground beef
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tablespoons grapeseed or any neutral oil

Directions:
Mix cheddar cheese, pimentos, cream cheese, mustard, and cayenne in bowl until well combined. Drop four 2-tablespoon portions of pimento cheese mixture on plate and cover tightly in plastic wrap. Freeze until firm, at least 2 hours. Combine remaining pimento cheese with mayonnaise, cover with plastic, and refrigerate.

Combine beef, Worcestershire, bread crumbs, milk, salt, and pepper in large bowl and gently knead until well combined. Divide meat into 4 equal -portions. Mold half of 1 portion of meat around 1 piece of the frozen cheese, then surround this mini-patty with the remaining half portion of meat. Repeat with the remaining frozen cheese and 3 portions meat to form 4 hamburgers.

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until just smoking. Add patties and cook until well browned, about 6 minutes. Flip burgers, cover skillet, and continue cooking until well done, about 6 minutes.

Distribute cheese-mayonnaise mixture evenly on top of burgers, cover, and cook until mixture is slightly melted, about 1 minute. Transfer to plate, tent with foil, and let rest 5 minutes. Serve.



The Result:
These. are. awesome. I can't wait to have the leftover burger for lunch today!