Stella's Krabby Patties

Well, hello! I know it has been a while since I posted a new recipe and I wished I had a good excuse, but all I can say is that work has been keeping me quite busy and all you smartphone aficionados will thank me next year.

But I did manage to come up with a kid-friendly recipe this week. Although I do eat meat, we rarely eat it at home and we specially rarely eat hamburgers. The main reason: my daughter does not eat meat. Very rarely will she eat chicken, but beef...don't even think about it.

So I decided to try a little Jedi mind trick on my girl and told her I was making "krabby patties" and asked her if she wanted to help me. Well, not only did she help me, but she also told me how to hold the spatula like Sponge Bob and explained to me exactly how many pickles a krabby patty needs to have (yes, I'm beginning to think she's been watching too much Sponge Bob Squarepants lately). Most importantly, she actually ate her "krabby patty!"

Nevertheless, this is what I came up with. I put very little seasoning on the meat because I find that little kids sometimes don't like a lot of seasoning. But you can season with a little salt and pepper while the meat is sizzling on the pan to add more flavor.

Finally, I cooked these a medium to medium-well, again because I don't want to get my kid sick, but for us adults, cook only a minute per side for a medium-rare--if you like medium-rare like I do!

And just a mommy side note: don't let your kids cook without you being 100% in front, supervising them, specially if using a stove. My daughter has grown up watching and helping me cook and I have ingrained in her head the hazards of hot stoves and ovens and that she can only cook while I'm watching her. Just a reminder to be careful when your kids are helping you in the kitchen.


INGREDIENTS (makes 8 sliders)

1. 1 pound ground beef (87/13 or 90/10)
   
2. 1/8 tsp. seasoning salt
   
3. 1/8 tsp. garlic pepper
   
4. 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
   
5. 1/8 tsp. kosher salt
   
6. a few grinds of pepper
   
7. 1 egg
   
8. Slider buns or Hawaiian buns
   
9. Slices of American cheese, cut to fit the sliders
   
10. Ketchup
    
11. Pickles

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl combine first 7 ingredients and, using your hands, gently combine them all. Divide meat into 8 portions and roll them into balls (these are slider-sized burgers).

Heat a cast iron or nonstick skillet to medium high. Lightly brush with oil with a paper towel. When hot enough, add four of the balls and wait 30 seconds. With your handy spatula, smash the burgers down to about 2" to 2-1/2" diameter, making sure they are all about the same thickness, and let them sizzle another minute. 

Turn them over and add your slice of cheese. Cook for another minute for medium or two minutes for well done.

Remove from skillet and let rest a couple of minutes. Meanwhile, finish cooking the rest of burgers.

To build a proper Stella krabby patty place a burger on bottom bun, add a little ketchup and two pickle slices then place the top bun.