Roquefort Burgers

We often make these burgers with the blue cheese in the middle of the patty, but then top them with more blue cheese or blue cheese dressing, tomato and lettuce. If we don't use the blue cheese dressing, a little mayonnaise is good. We have not tried the Green Peppercorn Mayonnaise as we do not generally have green peppercorns.

Burgers:
1 pound ground sirloin
1 tablespoon Worcestershire
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
8 ounces crumbled Roquefort or blue cheese
Whole wheat hamburger buns
Sliced tomatoes
Romaine lettuce
Sliced fresh onions

Green Peppercorn Mayonnaise:
1 cup mayonnaise
4 tsp. green peppercorn
2 tsp. Dijon mustard

Make the Green Peppercorn Mayonnaise by mixing the mayonnaise with the green peppercorns and mustard. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Before shaping into patties, mix the Worcestershire sauce and fresh black pepper into ground beef. Shape mixture into 4 balls.

[I shape into the patties, putting the blue cheese in the center, then salt and pepper both sides of the patties and sprinkle some Worcestershire over them.]

Make indentation in center of each ball, place 2 ounces crumbled Roquefort or blue cheese into each indentation. Shape mixture around cheese, flatten each into 3/4-inch-thick patty.

Grill. Serve on toasted whole wheat buns [smeared with a little butter] with sliced tomatoes, romaine lettuce, sliced fresh onions and the green peppercorn mayonnaise.

Other toppings that others say are good are Carmelized Onions and Quick Pickled Onions.

Tips:

• Buttering the rolls is a steakhouse secret. Even a thin smear of butter amplifies the beefy taste, making the burgers even more satisfying.
• If you don’t have time to make the pickled onion, make grilled onion instead. Cut the onion into ¼-inch thick rings, brush with oil, and grill the rings alongside the burgers until tender.
• For variations on the theme, substitute shredded cheddar, pepper Jack, provolone or Swiss for the blue cheese. Don’t omit the butter.
• The longer you grill the burgers, the more cheese stuffing melts out, so if you prefer your burgers medium-well (or well-done), you may not see the cheese when you bite into the burger. You will, however, taste it; even if the cheese melts away, plenty of flavor remains.