Cast Iron Skillet Bacon CheeseBurgers with Smoky Orange Onions

Post Edit:
My sister MK called me after the Super Bowl to tell me that these were the best burgers she's ever eaten. That means a heckuva lot coming from MK, since she used to eat just about a burger a day all through high school. Thanks for your testimonial, MK.
Oh, hooray-it's Friday! It's so easy to be cheerful on Fridays, with all of the breezy, wide-open potential for the weekend. I'm feeling especially jocular (love that word) today because I've got a brand new novel from one of my favorite authors waiting for me. My sister Leslie was kind enough to send me a copy, since I was fourth in line on the waiting list at the library. Do you read Anne Tyler? I don't read-I swallow. Then I reread deliberately and chew slowly in tiny, purposeful nibbles.

And besides a superbly written (no doubt with Anne Tyler), crisp, new novel waiting for me, this weekend promises other enticements. The Super Bowl! Not the game itself, but the fun and yummy foods that taste like victory. I've got a burger to share that's sure to score a taste-bud touchdown. Here's what you do: Get out your cast iron skillet and fry up some bacon. (A well seasoned skillet gives the food a deeper, more complex flavor-but a frying pan will work just as well, if it's all you've got.) Leave behind a slick of smoky grease and cook up your burgers, then smother them with a scattering of smoky orange onions. Those onions! Sweet, smoky, and tart-you could eat them right out of the pan, but they'll make your burger bliss. A game, a book, a burger, a Friday. What could be better?

Money Saving Tips:

You can use the cheaper selections of ground beef here, as long as you buy it fresh. Don't freeze it before using for the best burger. Look for meat that is cheery red in color, with no signs of graying. Just a couple of slices of bacon are needed to impart the smoky flavor to the burger.

Cast Iron Skillet Bacon Cheeseburgers with Smoky Orange Onions

Estimated Cost: $10.00 for four

8 slices bacon

1 and 1/4 lb. ground beef-not too lean

1 teaspoon garlic salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce

4 slices sharp cheddar cheese

1 tablespoon oil

2 large onions, thinly sliced

1/3 cup orange juice

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)

4 buns, lightly toasted

fresh spinach leaves, for serving

sliced tomatoes, for serving

In a cast iron skillet, fry bacon until crisp. Remove to paper towel to drain. Discard all but 1 tablespoon bacon fat. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine beef, garlic salt, pepper and worcestershire sauce. Form four patties. Fry patties in same skillet with bacon grease. Cook until no longer pink in center, about 5 minutes per side. Add cheese slices to patties for final minutes of cooking. While burgers cook, in a separate pan, cook onions over high heat in oil, until softened and beginning to brown in places. Add orange juice, brown sugar, vinegar, and liquid smoke. Cook until thick and syruppy, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. To assemble, place spinach, tomato, burger, bacon and onions on buns. You know what to do!

Make a pile of these, if you've got time.

Next Up:

Brownies for Julia
Don't forget to keep voting for West. We're down to the wire here.

Here's the link for West's More Rockin Moroccan Peanutty Pitas