Blue Cheese (or Ranch) Bacon "Hotburgers"

So, I have a TON of leftover blue cheese and ranch chicken wing dips. What is a mother to do with all the extra, creamy goodness??? Why, incorporate them into the meal plan, of course. I spread my dip(s) over some burgers with a slice of bacon each, and viola...a new burger was born.

My family is divided into blue cheese lovers (me) and non blue cheese lovers (everyone else). Actually, the baby girls seem to be on the fence about blue cheese because they are still so young. I still have time to sway them over to my side, hopefully. Anyway, I used blue cheese dip for mine and the girls and then used the ranch dip for the boys at my table. Everyone was happy with their burgers and it was declared that these were some of the tastiest burgers we have ever consumed. I'll agree...they were awesome!

I put these burgers together and split them in half and served them on hotdog buns. Why, you ask???? Well, I didn't have hamburger buns. (Hey, we had hot dog buns and I wasn't going to make a special trip to the store just for a different-shaped bread item. They taste the same, I tell ya!!!) My son was complaining about the lack of actual hamburger buns, so I took my friend Claire's suggestion and started calling them "hotburgers". Thanks to the clever re-branding scheme, he didn't seem to mind having hamburgers on hot dog buns after that. Tee-hee!

Blue Cheese (or Ranch) Bacon "Hotburgers"

Ingredients:
1 pound of ground beef
2 teaspoon of olive oil
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
5 slices of bacon
1-2 teaspoons of bacon grease
hotdog buns (or hamburger buns, if you want to be boring)(just kidding)
blue cheese or ranch dip(s), your choice (see previous post for recipe)

Directions:
In a mixing bowl, combine beef, Dijon mustard, olive oil, salt and pepper with a fork. Just mix enough to combine the ingredients, but try not to over-mix or handle too much. Divide mixture into 4 balls and form into patties. Set aside.

In a non-stick skillet, fry bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels to drain. Discard most of bacon grease, but leave some in the pan to help cook the burgers. Fry burgers, for about 4 minutes on each side or until cooked medium rare in the middle.

Slather either the blue cheese dip or the ranch dip on both sides of your bun (either hot dog bun or hamburger buns), depending on your preference. If using hot dog buns, cut burger patty in half and arrange meat on the hot dog bun lengthwise. Top with a slice of bacon, close the bun and serve!

(Obviously, if you are using a regular hamburger bun just prepare as you would a normal hamburger & toppings.)

The Result:
These are our new favorite burgers. I must confess, I tried both varieties and did prefer the blue cheese over the ranch. I suggest you try both and see which one your family likes best!