Spicy Southwestern Burger!

Yes my friends, I bring you yet another recipe! This is probably my favorite thing I have ever made for myself and that is due to the combination of great taste and the fact that it is something beyond the difficulty level of toast or spaghetti. I bring you the spicy southwestern burger: a delicious blend of of juicy beef, melted cheese, spicy mayo, and sweet caramelized onions. Sound good? Well, thats because it is. Try it for dinner tonight!

Spicy Southwestern Burger (serves two people)
- GF Bread or Hamburger Bun (I used Udi's Whole Grain Bread)
- 2 lbs 80/20 Ground Beef (yes, that means a pounder hamburger. Man up.)
- some salt/some pepper
- Tabasco Sauce
- Butter
- 1/2 Red Onion
- 2 tbsp Brown Sugar
- 1/4 cup real mayonnaise (NOT Miracle Whip)
- a couple slices of any sort of cheese (I used sharp cheddar- if you do this get the real kind that is white not the processed yellow kind)
- couple leafs of lettuce
- couple slices of tomato

Step 1: Put the ground beef, salt, pepper, and a few dashes of Tabasco sauce in a bowl. Mix it up- don't be afraid to get your hands messy. Just be sure to wash up afterwards so that the raw meat traces doesn't get all over everything!

Step 2: Set aside the meat, and lets talk onions: start by slicing your red onion into somewhat thin slices. Set a medium sized pan over medium-high heat and throw in some butter. Dump in the onion along with the brown sugar and stir it around. Once the butter is melted and the brown sugar is all blended it, let this pan sit over low heat for the remainder of the time you are cooking. This will let the onions get to their maximum caramelization and they will be extra sweet and tasty.

 Step 3: Make some spicy mayo: mix the mayonnaise with several shakes of hot sauce. Taste it to be sure it has the right amount of spice for you. Thats it. Simple but tasty.

Step 4: Now back to the meat- form two big round patties (or in my case, as I had a little over 2 lbs of meat, 2 big patties and 2 little patties). This is made easiest when you hold a meat ball in your palm and just pat it down right in your hand and shape it in a pretty circle. Place the patties onto your grill pan or skillet over medium to medium-low heat (make sure the surface has been buttered or sprayed). Allow each side to cook about 5 minutes or until each side is slightly browned to your liking. DO NOT smush your spatula down on the meat: that just gets rid of all the juices and serves no other real purpose.

Step 5: Toast your bun/bread. You can do this over the stove, in a broiler, or in a toaster (my choice method as it is quick and easy). Spread some mayo on each slice of bread- don't be stingy!


Step 6: Now comes the fun part: stacking this monster... Lay out your bread, put the burger on the bread, lay the cheese on the burger, layer on lots on onion (believe me, you want it), put on the tomato, some lettuce, and the put on the top. Whew! My dad and I decided to make these with the addition of guacamole and roasted chilis next time! I cannot wait.

Presto! That there is one tasty burger if I've ever seen one in my life.