Bacon Cheeseburger Pie

 

I decided to go through the refrigerator today and get it ready for Christmas. It's something I do every couple of months anyways, but today I went for it with a particular vigor.  My refrigerator is very small, with very little shelf space, mostly due to a water gadget on the door . . . which was a complete waste of space.  It's never worked properly and used up half of the door, which is really vital space when it comes to bottles and jars.  Because of that, I can only ever have one jug of milk in my fridge at any given time . . . and a very small container of juice.  It's really irritating, but . . . live and learn.

 

Anyways, I went through the refrigerator and had a real clean out.  You know . . . little bits of jam in the bottoms of jam jars, out of date pickles, etc.  I really hate waste like that . . . but with only two of us in the house . . . it is inevitable sometimes.

 

To make a long story short I had some pastry which needed using, as well as some cheese and a pound of extra lean beef mince and so I decided to make a pie with it, but not just an ordinary pie . . . a Bacon Cheeseburger Pie, because I also had some streaky bacon which needed using up as well.

 

I tried so use tradition cheeseburger flavor in this tasty pie . . . yellow mustard and tomato sauce (ketchup) and pickle, and some caramelized onions, along with a variety of spices and herbs.  There's grated cheddar in the meat mixture as well as on the top . . . and of course some scrummy streaky bacon garnishing the top.  Everything tastes better with bacon!



I recently got some of the Gourmet Garden Products and thought their crushed Garlic would be perfect for this pie.   My garlic bulbs always dry up before I can get them used.  This Gourmet Garden crushed Garlic is perfect for me.  It's stays fresh in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, is easy to squeeze out into my dish, contains natural ingredients without a lot of preservatives and oil.  I have tried ready chopped garlic etc before, but have never really liked the stuff.

 

I really like the Gourmet Garden garlic though and best of all it's ready on tap, no mess or fuss and my hands stay garlic free.  (I really dislike the smell of onions and garlic on my hands.)  One teaspoon of the Gourmet Garden Garlic  is the same as one regular clove of garlic.

 

I was really pleased with the way this pie turned out and Todd loved it so much he had two slices!  It's filled with beautiful flavours, and if you like you could also garnish it with your favourite burger toppings, like chopped onions, pickles, sliced tomatoes, lettuce . . .  I had in mind to make some special sauce to have on this, but after smelling all of those tasty aromas coming out of the oven while it was baking, we just couldn't wait long enough.

 

We just had to tuck in right away! If anything it tasted even better than it smelled . . . like I said Todd had two pieces all by himself and both of us are looking forward to the leftovers tomorrow.  All in all it was a really scrummy way of making one pound of beef mince go a very long way!



 *Bacon Cheeseburger Pie*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe

Kids, big and small will love this one.  If it's in a pie . . . I'm there!

2 TBS olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
3 tsp of garlic paste
1 pound of extra lean minced steak
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp ground chili pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 TBS brown sugar
1 TBS tomato ketchup
1 TBS yellow mustard
1 TBS balsamic syrup
1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
2 large free range eggs, beaten
1 dessert spoon sweet pickle relish
40g of seasoned dried bread crumbs (1/3 cup)
240g grated cheddar cheese (2 cups)
3 slices of partially cooked streaky bacon
pastry for one 9-inch pie tin

 

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.  Line a 9 inch pie dish with the pastry and flute edges.

Heat the oil in a large skillet.  Add the onions and cook until they are softened and beginning to caramelize.  Crumble in the beef and cook, stirring and mashing it with a fork, until it is cooked through.  Stir in the garlic paste, both paprikas, thyme, chili, black pepper, and salt.  Continue to cook until it begins to brown.  Turn out the heat.  Stir in the bread crumbs, brown sugar, ketchup, mustard, Balsamic syrup, Worcestershire sauce, pickle relish, and half of the cheddar cheese.  Stir in the beaten eggs.  Spread the mixture into the prepared crust.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove from the oven.  Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and the partially cooked pieces of bacon, cut in half crosswise, placing them in a spoke manner.  Bake for an additonal 20 to 25 minutes, until the crust is crisp and the pie is golden brown.  Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.  Cut into wedges to serve. 

Note:  you can serve your traditional burger toppings with this if you like. 

Yes, this is another repost.   My hip is still giving me jip and I am still resting it up so that I will be fit for the big dinner on Christmas Day.   With any lucky you may seem something new tomorrow!  Here's hoping!