You didn’t ask but here’s a helpful money-saving grocery shopping tip. If you’re buying meat, go in the morning. The early morning. That’s when the sales happen. Note: If you go to my grocery store, I will take you down over some half-priced, organic, grass-fed beef. Be warned. I have a problem. Some may call it meat hoarding. I call it smart shopping.

I’m a sucker for a sale. Put a sticker on it, and it’s going in my cart. My latest bargain was a five pound family pack (reminder: one other person lives here) of ground beef. We separated it into five, one-pound portions and froze four of them. I used one pound to make these sliders. These cute, cheesy, delicious sliders. And now I will make them four more times.

But here’s the thing. I don’t eat hamburger buns anymore and you can only wrap a burger in lettuce so many times and pretend that it’s just as good as a soft, carby bun before you lose it. So I made some potato “buns,” if you will. I sliced a potato and roasted the rounds with a little olive oil and just like that you’ve got yourself a gluten free, carbo-loaded burger holder. You won’t need french fries with these sliders because, well, your burger’s sitting right between them.

I used blue cheese in the burgers. Feel free to use any cheese that you’d like. I highly recommend blue cheese but I won’t be a blue cheese pusher. I mean, blue cheese and beef is only one of the best culinary combinations to exist…ever, but whatever, you decide. The cheese gets all melty and has such bold flavor that it doesn’t get lost in the burger. I think the blue cheese really makes these. But again, pick your own cheese. No really, it’s up to you.  

Right now we’re in the middle of Sandy waiting for the worst to hit and hoping we don’t lose power. I have a freezer full of beef. It’s a stressful thing, meat hoarding. Stay safe.

Blue Cheese Sliders with Gluten Free Potato “Buns”

For sliders

Ingredients:
1lb ground beef (I used 93/7)
2 ounces blue cheese, crumbled (check to be sure yours is gluten free if it matters to you)
3/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
lettuce, tomato, onion, ketchup, mustard, etc for topping

For potato “buns”

Ingredients:
2 large russet potatoes (*nerd alert* pick some with more of a round cross-section than oval)
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 and prepare a broiling pan and cookie sheet with cooking spray.
2. Slice the potato in about 1/4 inch slices (as shown above). Toss with olive oil and salt. Lay flat on the cookie sheet. Do not overlay the potatoes. Each one should be touching the pan. Roast for about 20 minutes. Using tongs flip each potato and roast for 10 more minutes on the other side. Remove.
3. While potatoes are cooking, combine all slider ingredients in a bowl and mix using your hands. Shape in patty form to match the size of your potatoes.
4. Place on the broiling pan and cook at 350 or about 8 minutes. Flip and cook for 5 about more minutes or to desired doneness.
5. To assemble place a slider between two potato slices and top with desired topping. use a toothpick to hold together if necessary.

Notes:

1. I sort of want to make sandwiches on potato “bread” now. Slice the potatoes lengthwise and you’ve got sandwich bread? No?
2. I think these would be really great appetizers for holiday parties that are going to start sneaking up on us.
3. Things are getting really nasty here. Logging off. Stay safe!

---