Rocky Sunrise Bacon & Egg Burger Yield 4 servings Time 1 hour Breakfast meets burger in this meaty mashup with mouthwatering mix-ins, seared to perfection and sandwiched inside a soft, buttered kaiser roll. INGREDIENTS 4 Happy Eggs 5 slices bacon 1 pound ground chuck 1/2 pound bulk hot Italian sausage 3 tablespoons chopped scallions 1 ounce dry ranch dressing mix 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 4 ounces smoked cheese (like rombol, cheddar, gouda, etc.), sliced 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature 4 large kaiser rolls with sesame seeds, halved Toppings: Mayonnaise, thinly sliced red onion, romaine lettuce DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 400° F. Cover baking sheet with foil or line with parchment paper. Arrange bacon in a single layer on the baking sheet and bake for 20-22 minutes or until crispy. Rotate pan halfway through. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels and pat dry. Save 2 tablespoons of bacon fat. Once bacon is cool to the touch, chop into small pieces. In a large bowl combine bacon, ground chuck, sausage, scallions, ranch dressing mix and pepper until uniformly combined. Divide the mixture into four 6-ish ounce patties no more than 3/4” thick. Use your thumb to make a small well in the center to help the patties keep their shape while cooking. Place a cast iron pan, heavy-bottomed skillet or grill pan over a medium-high flame. Once smoking, add vegetable oil. When oil begins to shimmer, add burgers and cook 4-5 minutes on one side until a nice crust forms. Flip and top each patty with cheese, then cook another 4-5 minutes. (If you have a meat thermometer, the burgers should be about 155°-160° F). Transfer burgers to a plate, cover and keep warm. Discard grease in the pan and reduce the heat to medium. Evenly spread butter over 8 kaiser-roll halves and toast about 1-2 minutes in the same pan used to cook the burgers. Once golden brown, remove from the pan. Pour the reserved bacon fat into the pan and reduce heat once more to a low flame. Crack the eggs in the pan and cook for about 2 minutes or until the whites have set and the yolks remain soft. Spread mayonnaise over the roll halves and top with a burger and an egg. Serve with sliced onions and romaine lettuce on top. BACK TO RECIPES Recommended Recipes ITALIAN FRIED EGG & PORTABELLA BURGERS EGGCELLENT HUEVOS RANCHEROS