The only recipe I’ve discovered that comes close to the deliciously straightforward tomato sauces I’ve had in Italy is this one. A small touch of sugar helps the sauce become more bright because our tomatoes in the United States aren’t sweetened by rich, volcanic soil.
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 20 mins |
| Total Time: | 35 mins |
| Servings: | 4 |
| Yield: | 4 burgers |
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons Thousand Island dressing
- 8 strips bacon
- 1 pound ground chuck
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 4 large eggs
- 4 hamburger buns, split, lightly toasted
- 4 leaves iceberg lettuce
- 4 slices Cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Stir mayonnaise and Thousand Island dressing together in a small bowl. Set spread aside.
- Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
- Form ground chuck into 3 equal-sized patties. Use a small glass to cut out the center of each patty to create a donut-shaped burger. Combine excess meat to form a fourth donut-shaped burger. Season generously with salt and pepper.
- Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add butter and melt. Add burgers and cook for 2 minutes per side. Crack an egg into the center of each burger. Cover the skillet and cook until whites are set, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Place spread on the split sides of the bottom hamburger buns. Build each burger by topping with lettuce, a burger, 2 slices bacon, 1 slice Cheddar cheese, and a top bun.
- For a cool presentation, slice burgers in half to expose the egg.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 656 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 24 g |
| Cholesterol | 309 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Protein | 40 g |
| Saturated Fat | 18 g |
| Sodium | 1556 mg |
| Sugars | 5 g |
| Fat | 44 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Great idea and fun but the execution needs some tweaking. You’ve got to get a good sear on the burgers to be able to flip them without falling part. They are very fragile since there is nothing in the middle holding them together. My first two collapsed. On my 3rd attempt I got a good sear on it so that I could flip it but the heat has to be so high that it burns the butter. On my 4th attempt, I didn’t use any butter at all and that worked great. A little of the egg will run out from underneath the burger but if you have the heat turned up high enough you don’t lose much. This was fun and one I’d try again with some tweaks.