Beef & Blue Cheese Sliders with Caramelized Onion

These little guys are some of the yummiest sliders ever! Thank you Christine and Denise for inviting my lonely self over on Valentine's Day, pouring me bottomless glasses of wine and introducing me to this super delicious and super easy recipe. Ben and I couldn't resist making them again and made a few tweaks of our own. Remember, you don't have to use beef. My lovely friends made them with ground turkey and they were amazing.

What you need:

1 lb. lean ground beef (Ben wants me to stress that 80/20 is the best beef to fat ratio for flavor)

6 small rolls

1/2 white onion, diced

blue cheese crumbles

1 cup olive oil

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

2 tsp. butter

salt & pepper

ketchup (if desired)

In a small pan over medium heat, toss onions, balsamic vinegar and butter. Cover with lid but stir occasionally making sure there is constant moisture in the pan. Careful not to burn the onions. If moisture is escaping you might need to turn down the heat or add a little water. When the onions are brown and flimsy (about 15 minutes), they're ready.

Salt and pepper beef to taste and form into six small patties. Throw them on the grill for about 5 minutes per side, turning only once. When the juices run clear when pressure is applied, they're done.

Cut each roll in half, dip the inside edges in a plate of olive oil and transfer to a clean plate. note: don't do this too early or the oil with soak through the entire roll. Put these on the grill for about 3 minutes just as the beef is coming off. Keep an eye on them so they don't burn.

Place beef patties on rolls, add a small spoonful of blue cheese crumbles and some onions. I love them with a dab of ketchup. Enjoy!

Serves 2 (3 sliders each)

xo