'Dagwood' Bacon Cheeseburger

A lean burger...

Dagwood, of the comic strip "Blondie", is the go-to guy when it comes to stacking sandwiches!

I'm not even half the expert Dagwood is when it comes to piling sandwich toppings sky high, so I chose to wimp it down a little but tried my best.

Anyway...

I also opted for a healthier, leaner version of this Dagwood burger because frankly, it's a comic strip after all, and no matter what Dagwood wolves down, he never seems to gain any weight. Unfortunately, that's not real life...which is a bummer, actually.

This burger was not cooked on a charcoal grill or under the broiler. I used a cast iron frying pan and got the same effect albeit not the smoky flavor of a charcoal grill. If you don't have a cast iron pan, a heavy non-stick or stainless steel pan will work just fine. But to make a quick, great-tasting burger at home the cast iron pan really did the trick.

Here's what you'll need for 4 burgers (quarter pound each) :

1 lb of lean ground chuck (fat ratio: 93/7)
8 strips of turkey bacon
2 slices of low-fat American cheese
1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
1 Tbsp sea salt
1 tsp of garlic powder
1 tsp of paprika powder
1 egg
Handful of breadcrumbs & freshly ground black pepper

In a bowl mix all the above ingredients, except for the bacon of course, together and form a large ball, almost like a bread dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge for about 2 hours, then divide into four equal parts and shape into patties.

Pre-heat a cast iron pan on medium-high and add a small amount of oil to the pan. Fry each patty 3-4 mins each side or until desired doneness is achieved. Do not press down on the burgers because you want to keep them moist and juicy. When they're done, take them out and set aside on a warm platter. Now throw in the bacon and fry until crisp. In the meantime, toast the hamburger buns. I used large whole wheat buns instead of the regular buns.

As far as the condiments go, I will leave that up to you since everyone has a different preference on what should go on a burger. Mine was topped with low-fat mayo (Smart Balance), Trader Joe's Dijon mustard (take that Grey Poupon!), a couple of drops of ketchup, two bacon strips, a fresh tomato slice, sweet pickle slices, two slices of low-fat American cheese and a nice slice of white onion. Yes, white...not red, not yellow. Adds a bit of a bite to it. But feel free to use your own favorite condiments.

Serve the "Dagwood" burger with a side of shoestring fries and dig in...

 Enjoy!