Chili Cheese Bacon Burgers with Potato Chip Crusted Onion Rings

Tonight was one of those manly dinners that Clayton looks forward to every week. Since we had some left over chili, we made some Chili-Cheese-Bacon Burgers with Potato Crusted Onion Rings (yes we know, a heart attack between buns). If you happen to live near a Fresh Market, I would definitely recommend their stuffed burgers. Depending on the day, they have all different kinds of burger patties, like portabella-gouda,   bleu cheese, and cheddar-bacon (which is what we chose because we felt that went best with the homemade chili). However, if you don't have a Fresh Market, you can always just top your burger with cheddar cheese and bacon. But this burger is layered with a homemade cajun sauce, an onion ring that holds in the homemade chili, and some chopped raw onion. The onion rings were by far my favorite because by using the crushed up potato chips and panko bread crumbs, you achieve the most amazing crunch. And I highly recommend dipping the onion rings into the Cajun Sauce because it's a perfect combination. Well, enjoy!

Chili Cheese Bacon Burgers with Potato Chip Crusted Onion Rings and Cajun Sauce

For the Cajun Sauce:

½C Mayo

2T Ketchup

2T Horseradish

¼t Paprika

½t Cajun Seasoning

¼t Garlic Powder

¼t Dried Oregano

Dash of Black Pepper

Dash of Cayenne Pepper      

For the Onion Rings:

½C AP Flour

1 Egg

½C Buttermilk

1T Hot Sauce

½t Paprika

1t Cajun Seasoning

¼t Cayenne

¼t Pepper

2C Crushed Kettle-Cooked Potato Chips (Preferably Cape Cod)

1C Panko Breadcrumbs

1 Large Sweet Vidalia Onion, Cut Into Thick Rings

Salt, For Sprinkling

1Q Peanut Oil

For the Burgers:

1 Burger Bun

1 Cheddar-Bacon Burger Patty (or any patty of your choice)

1 Large Onion Ring

¼C Turkey Chili (See Previous Recipe)

2T Cajun Sauce

Chopped Fresh Onion, Optional

Directions:

1.   To Make the Onion Rings: heat your deep fryer to 375 with the peanut oil.  Next you have to set up a battering station. I use 3 pie tins for all of my stations. For the first station, I mix the flour & the seasonings. For the second station, whisk the eggs, buttermilk, and hot sauce. For the third station, pour 2 cups of crushed potato chips and panko breadcrumbs. Dredge each onion ring in the flour, then the buttermilk, and then coat them in the chip-breadcrumb mixture, making sure the onion rings are completely coated. Fry the onion rings in the hot oil for roughly 5-6 minutes or until golden brown. Salt them immediately once they are out of the oil.

2.   To Make the Cajun Sauce: whisk together all of these ingredients, then cover and refrigerate until serving time.

3.   To Make the Burger: cook the burger on high heat in a sauté pan with a little bit of oil. Brown each side for about 2 minutes on each side. Next, place an onion ring on top of the cooked burger patty and pour in the cooked chili (this will help the chili from spilling everywhere). Place the burger underneath a broiler to heat the chili and melt the cheese, roughly 2 minutes. Once the burger is done cooking, top with the chopped raw onion and slather the Cajun sauce on both sides of the burger bun. Serve hot with the potato-crusted onion rings and a side of the Cajun Sauce for dipping.

Here is a labeled version of the burger

source: cajun sauce