Not something new but something really good...

I know that yesterday I said I was going to stretch myself and make something new and complicated...yada yada yada...I thought about it and even started to look on the internet for something and then...

Suddenly I realized that what I wanted was a cheeseburger with colby cheese, grilled onions, lettuce and tomato on a ciabatta bun.  

And if you have a cheeseburger of course you need fries to go with it.

So, off I went to Walmart, the keeper of the most wonderful ciabatta bun.  They come in three flavors.  Plain,onion poppy or whole grain with sesame seeds.  Our favorite is the onion poppy but they did not have those today.  I got the plain ones in case I decide to make croutons with the ones left over.  I told the girls at work that I was going to make cheeseburgers for dinner and they asked what kind of cheeseburger.  What do you mean what kind.  That is when they informed me that I never make anything as plain as a cheeseburger and wanted to know what was in the burger.  I admitted that, yes, it is not just plain burger, (they know me so well) but an umami burger.  My darling husband/best friend also surfs the web for recipes and found one day a recipe for an umami burger.  Umami is the Japanese word for the savory sense of our taste buds.  I altered the recipe slightly.  

Umami Burger

1 pound of hamburger 

3 cloves of garlic

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 Tbsp fish sauce

fresh ground black pepper

mix and allow to marinate for 10-20 minutes.  Patty them the size you prefer and grill them up.  I like mine done...not red, not pink but not burnt.  About five minutes on both sides.  The last two minutes I put the cheese on so it gets a little melty.  (It's my blog so that is a word.)

The fries are seasoned with salt, pepper and ceyenne pepper.  Cut the potatoes to the size you like.  Rinse off some of the starch with cold water and then pat as dry as you can.  Coat them with oil, I spray them with canola cooking spray, then sprinkle on the seasonings.  I cook them in a 425 degree oven for 35-45 minutes.  Turn them about half way through so they get evenly cooked.  Make them as crispy as you like.

This meal of cheeseburger and fries is definitely a favorite of mine.  It hit the spot.  Satisfied?  Yes I Am.