Decadent Crispy Onion & Swiss Bacon Sliders with a Blue Cheese Dressing
Ingredients:
Burgers:
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Kosher salt and pepper for seasoning
1 1/2 pounds coarse-ground beef chuck
8 pieces of turkey bacon, cooked
8 slices of Swiss cheese
8 slider rolls
Blue Cheese Dressing (Sauce):
2 tablespoons blue cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons light sour cream
1 tablespoon fresh chives
1 tablespoon light mayonnaise
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepperToppings:
Crumbled blue cheese
Tempura onions rings (see recipe below)
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Mayonnaise
Sliced Onions
Directions:
Cook 8 slices of turkey bacon until crisp. Cut bacon and set aside on a plate lined with a paper towel.
Make blue cheese dressing by adding blue cheese, sour cream, chives, mayonnaise, salt and pepper in a bowel and mix until combined. Place in refrigerator.
Season the beef with salt and pepper. Score the mixture into 8 equal portions and form them into patties slightly thinner at the center than at the edges for even cooking and to ensure a flat surface (burgers plump as they cook). Add the 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, to the hot skillet. Cook the burgers, flipping once, 10 minutes for medium (adjust the timing for rarer or more well-done burgers). Place a piece of Swiss cheese on each burger and allow to melt.
Assemble burger by placing a thick layer of blue cheese dressing on one side of a toasted slider roll. Place burger on top of the covered bun and sprinkle blue cheese over burger. Place 2 half slices of bacon on top of blue cheese and top with two crispy onion rings. Cover with remaining half of bun.
Tempura Onion Rings:
Ingredients:
Oil, for frying
2 large sweet onions, cut into 1/2-inch thick rings, thin skins removed
1 1/2 cups rice flour, plus more, for dredging
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 egg yolk
3/4-1 cup beer (use enough until you get thick pancake batter consistency)
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Fill a large Dutch oven or fryer with 1 1/2" of oil and preheat to 350 degrees F.
Sift dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Crack the egg yolk into a separate bowl and break it up with a fork. Add this to the well in the middle of the flour and slowly pour in the beer as you whisk. Gradually make wider circles with the whisk to incorporate the dry ingredients from the edges - this will minimize the chance of lumps. Continue until all the dry ingredients are mixed and the batter is of a smooth consistency.
In a large dish add some rice flour, and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Coat each ring in the flour. Dip in the batter and fry in hot oil in batches until golden. Drain on paper towels and season with salt.