Two of my favorite things today!
Burgers and friends.
It’s Monday, I’m in a chocolate-peanut butter egg coma, I’ve got a full day of work, bruises on my knees from falling in a Target parking lot (of course it happened there) and half a coconut cake sitting in my fridge. I want to tell you why I adore Andie Mitchell’s cookbook — it will make you want to eat everything.
But the main reason I’m sharing these burgers from Andie’s book is this:
Max had his very first burger last fall with Andie at Shake Shack. She hadn’t offered it; he literally grabbed it out of her hand and devoured it. I’m pretty sure he ate a quarter of it and covered another third in baby drool, making it only fit for his mother.
Now? Cheeseburgers are one of his favorite foods. And who can blame him?
SO. The good stuff.
This recipe comes from Eating in the Middle, Andie’s cookbook, which comes out tomorrow. It’s worth ordering — it’s fantastic. I’ve long said Andie is my Oprah. She also wrote a moving memoir that I devoured in one day.
If you know Andie, you know she’s genuine and witty. She’s relatable and honest, and one of the things I love most is that she eats real food — all of it. Her book shares favorites and encourages a sustainable, balanced approach to eating: a happy, healthy lifestyle.
When she first mentioned the cookbook last year, it resonated with me. I’m an all-or-nothing person by nature, which is a real flaw. Andie’s concept—eating in the middle instead of swinging between restriction and overindulgence—felt like validation. It’s the mindset I grew up with: sensible, flexible eating. My mom has a great relationship with food, and I hope to pass that along to my kids.
These meatloaf burgers are a dream and just what we needed to escape our burger rut. Yes, we fall into burger ruts—real life! My mom made the best meatloaf when I was a kid, though I’ve had mixed results making it myself. I’ll probably guilt-trip her into making it again soon.
The burgers are loaded with flavor. I made sliders because mini things are adorable and you can easily eat two. The outside gets a satisfying crunchy crust while the inside stays moist and juicy. I added extra BBQ sauce, melted spicy pepper-jack, and lightly fried, crispy onions. Perfection.
This is exactly how I want to start every week.
Meatloaf Sliders with Frizzled Onions
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Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon
- 1 pound ground sirloin (I used 93% lean)
- 2/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup smoky BBQ sauce, plus extra for serving
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 ounces pepper-jack cheese, sliced
- 8 to 10 slider buns (I used multigrain dinner rolls)
frizzled onions
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 large sweet onion, sliced into very thin rings
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- peanut oil for frying
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
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In a large skillet, cook the bacon until crispy and the fat is rendered. Remove the bacon and drain on paper towels. Once cool, break it into pieces that fit on the sliders. Pour most of the bacon fat out of the skillet, leaving a little to cook the sliders in.
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In a large bowl, combine the beef, panko, Worcestershire, Dijon, BBQ sauce, honey, salt, and pepper. Mix with your hands until evenly distributed. Form the mixture into 8 to 10 equal patties, depending on bun size.
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Heat the same skillet over medium-high. Add the sliders and cook until browned and crisp on both sides, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Reduce heat to low, top each slider with cheese, cover the skillet and let the cheese melt.
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To serve, spread a little BBQ sauce on each bun, place the meatloaf patty, add a few bacon pieces and the other bun top. Add frizzled onions if desired.
frizzled onions
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Whisk together the egg and buttermilk in a bowl. Add the sliced onion rings, making sure they’re fully coated. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
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In a baking dish, whisk together the flour, garlic powder, smoked paprika and pepper. Heat a large saucepan over medium-high and fit with a candy thermometer. Add peanut oil to a few inches deep and heat to 375°F (190°C).
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Remove the onion rings from the fridge, shake off excess milk, then dredge them in the seasoned flour. Fry in the hot oil until golden and crispy, about 2 to 3 minutes, turning once or twice. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Season with sea salt while hot.
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Tip: Start the burgers and heat the oil while the onions chill in the buttermilk to make this a relatively quick meal.
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I appreciate you so much!
Bring.it.on.spring.