The Goat Cheese Lover’s Burger
This post is for die-hard goat cheese lovers only.
Or wanna-be die-hard goat cheese lovers.
Or someone who would like to cook for a die-hard goat cheese lover.
Basically the person eating this has to like goat cheese. A. LOT. There’s a goat cheese filling in those burgers PLUS a goat cheese dressing on top.
If you’ve done a stuffed burger before, this is pretty straightforward. Make two really thin patties, top one half with the filling, then seal the two halves together! I added some lemon zest and garlic to the filling which you can TOTALLY taste.
I formed my patties into a football shape because I was using pitas instead of buns. We like doing that because the bread element doesn’t overpower the burger, which is the reason why you’re eating the burger…. right?
I drizzled an adaptation of the goat cheese recipe from this salad recipe over the top. (One of my favorite dressings ever. And if you don’t like goat cheese that much, the goat cheese flavor is quite mild.) We served with this with the Grilled Summer Squash Salad I just posted. Perfect end-of-the-summer meal!
Burgers & goat cheese were just meant to be together, guys.
Goat Cheese-Stuffed Burger with Tangy Goat Cheese-Cucumber Dressing
Yield: 4 or 5 burgers
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: About 45 minutes
Ingredients:
For the burgers:
1 1/2 pounds ground beef or lamb (organic & grass-fed if possible)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
5 ounces goat cheese
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
Buns (or pitas), lettuce (or spinach) & sliced tomatoesFor the dressing:
4 ounces soft goat cheese
1/4 c buttermilk
2 T cider vinegar
1 T extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp whole-grain mustard
1/3 cup shredded cucumber
3 T chopped fresh cilantroDirections:
For the burgers:
Preheat your grill (or stove-top grill pan) to highIn a medium-sized bowl, add the salt and pepper to the ground beef and gently mix well. Don't squish the meat in your fists, but gently "toss" it around in the bowl. The less you handle the meat, the better.
In a small bowl combine the goat cheese, lemon zest, and garlic. Grab a large plate or platter to set the patties on. Score the meat while it's in the bowl so the meat is divided evenly. Divide it into 4 or 5 sections, depending on how thick you want your burgers.
Take out the amount for one burger and divide that in half. Make two very flat patties out of them. Place a large spoonful of the goat cheese mixture into the center of one of the patties. Top with the other patty and seal the edges the best you can. Repeat with remaining ground beef and goat cheese mixture.
Grill burgers over high heat for 10-15 minutes, flipping once, until they're cooked all the way through.
Meanwhile, make the dressing:
Combine all of the dressing ingredients (except the cucumber and cilantro) in a food processor and process until smooth. You could whisk it, but I would recommend at least using a blender or a hand mixer to break up the goat cheese evenly. Stir in the cucumber and cilantro.
Assemble the burgers, drizzling the dressing over the meat.
Nat's Note:
1. This dressing is fantastic with steak that's coated in a cumin-coriander-cayenne spice rub. Just sayin'.Burgers from Perry's Plate
Dressing adapted lightly from Food Network Magazine, June/July 2009
perrysplate
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DessertForTwo — September 10, 2012 @ 7:55 am
Come to mama! I’m a goat cheese lover!
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Julia {The Roasted Root} — September 10, 2012 @ 8:13 am
My gosh, Natalie, this looks awesome!
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Cassie — September 10, 2012 @ 9:32 am
LOVE everything about this. I’m definitely a die-hard goat cheese fan. I love the idea of using pita bread too, perfect alternative to buns!
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Naomi — September 10, 2012 @ 11:43 am
This sounds sooo good! I am without doubt a die-hard goat cheese lover :) I actually have a different dinner featuring goat cheese tomorrow but this will probably appear in our house later this week! xx
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Natalie replied: — September 13th, 2012 @ 11:50 pm
Aw, I knew I liked you. :) Goat cheese is welcome at our house more than once a week, too!
Bree — September 10, 2012 @ 1:42 pm
Oh my goodness this looks amazing!
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Joanne — September 10, 2012 @ 1:55 pm
I am a goat cheese FANATIC and this goat cheese overload looks heavenly to me! I need to figure out how to incorporate it into a veggie burger.
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Bev @ Bev Cooks — September 10, 2012 @ 5:25 pm
Oh my garsh I’m sooooo loving on this.
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elly — September 10, 2012 @ 5:55 pm
HUGE goat cheese lover checking in. These look amazing. Can’t wait to make them!
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Angela @ AnotherBitePlease — September 10, 2012 @ 7:22 pm
my hubby would love this – he LOVES goat cheese.
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Natalie replied: — September 13th, 2012 @ 11:48 pm
You’d definitely win points with this then!
P.S. I just found all of your comments in my spam folder! EEK! I set them free. Hopefully no more will get trapped in there. Thx for all the love! :)
The Life of Clare — September 11, 2012 @ 12:13 am
These look delicious, I love love love goats cheese, but sadly the husband does not love it so much! Might have to make these and see what he thinks.
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Natalie replied: — September 13th, 2012 @ 11:49 pm
He might like the dressing… it’s a bit more mild tasting than the burger filling. You could even leave the goat cheese out of his burger! (Or put something else in there instead…)
Ari @ Ari's Menu — September 11, 2012 @ 7:28 am
So, every time I go to a restaurant, the first thing I do is scan the entire menu for items containing goat cheese. This recipe pretty much just blew my mind, and will definitely be appearing in my kitchen soon! You even added cilantro which is my other favorite food. I can’t even get over it!
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Natalie replied: — September 13th, 2012 @ 11:43 pm
I think we’re soul sisters… or something of that sort. I’m immediately drawn to goat cheese on menus, too! I don’t see it often enough.
Kristi — September 11, 2012 @ 8:02 am
And….now I have to go buy goat cheese. Thanks a lot. :)
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Natalie replied: — September 13th, 2012 @ 11:48 pm
You are SO welcome :)
Better Living Through Chaos — September 12, 2012 @ 8:46 am
Love goat cheese! And buttermilk! Just read today in the New York Times that buttermilk is making a comeback, so it must be true.
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Natalie replied: — September 13th, 2012 @ 11:42 pm
A comeback?? I wasn’t aware that it left…. ;)
Stephie @ Eat Your Heart Out — September 19, 2012 @ 7:00 pm
Ohhhhhh my goodness. How did you know that goat cheese is maybe my favorite thing to put on a burger?!?! I’m drooling. It’s a good thing I live alone because it’s quite unattractive.
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Laura — October 4, 2012 @ 3:30 pm
Oh my gosh! These burgers were amazing. They were so good we ate them twice in one week. Thank you so much for the recipe. It was a keeper.
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Meghan — December 10, 2012 @ 2:09 am
Zune and iPod: Most people coampre the Zune to the Touch, but after seeing how slim and surprisingly small and light it is, I consider it to be a rather unique hybrid that combines qualities of both the Touch and the Nano. It’s very colorful and lovely OLED screen is slightly smaller than the touch screen, but the player itself feels quite a bit smaller and lighter. It weighs about 2/3 as much, and is noticeably smaller in width and height, while being just a hair thicker.
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