Long Boy Burgers

On Sunday night, John & I made a new recipe that I found online: long boy burgers. We also made homemade fries to go with them. Overall, it was a really good dinner, although these are definitely more of a meatloaf sandwich than a burger. Regardless, we'll probably make this again. I think next time, I'll try adding diced green chilies and/or jalapenos. I need a little more kick & a little less ketchup.

Long Boy Burgers

Adapted from Sunshine and Bones

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 lb lean ground beef

1 cup cornflakes, crushed

1/2 small onion, minced

1/2 cup low fat milk

6 tbsp ketchup, separated

1 tbsp Worcestershire

1 tsp fresh thyme, minced

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

salt & pepper

2-4 (6-inch) hoagie rolls, cut in half lengthwise

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees & adjust oven rack to upper-middle position.

Bake rolls, cut side up, on wire rack inside rimmed baking sheet until golden & crisp, about 5 minutes. You do this so that the 'meat juice' doesn't make the bread soggy while baking.

Combine cornflakes, onion, milk, 4 tbsp ketchup, Worcestershire, thyme, garlic powder, egg, 1/2 tsp salt, & 1 tsp pepper in a large bowl. Add the meat & knead gently until well combined.

Top toasted rolls evenly with meat mixture, spreading meat to edge of rolls. Brush top of meat mixture evenly with remaining ketchup & bake until meat registers 160 degrees, about 20-25 minutes. Remove burgers from the oven, top with cheese & continue baking until cheese melts, 3-4 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes. Serve.

Kim's Notes:

We put a thin layer of Trader Joe's Wasabi Mayo on the rolls before baking them the first time, sans meat. Also, we were confused about this, so I'm assuming you may be, too - you do not cook the meat first. The meat goes onto the rolls & into the oven raw. The 20-25 minute baking time will cook the meat, but make sure & check the temp. Ours had to cook the entire 25 minutes before registering 160 degrees.

Also, our bread was totally fine. We were worried it would be rock hard. The trick is to completely cover the rolls with meat. If the ends do start to burn, cover them with foil.

If you like meatloaf, you will love this sandwich. If you love burgers & are expecting a burger, SURPRISE, you're getting a meatloaf sandwich, ha ha, but it is a really good meatloaf sandwich.