It’s National Junk Food Day!

Today is National Junk Food Day. No offense to Diners and their down home cooking, but diner food isn’t typically your healthiest choice for dinner. Oh sure, you could order a salad with dressing on the side and a glass of water, but really? It’s a Diner!

National Junk Food Day is all about eating junk – anything and everything that is more about flavor than nutrition. Potato chops are junk food. Anything and everything from McDonalds or the multitude of fast food joints on every corner is junk food. And like it or not, diner favorites can be considered junk food. We don’t go to diners to be healthily, we go there because they serve up nostalgia on a plate. Mom’s Meatloaf, grandma’s fried chicken, and burgers that make us tap our feet to the theme song from Happy Days.

Kiddo and I both love to order Bacon Cheeseburgers when eating at a diner. Hubby skips the bacon and cheese, while going for the burger. Diners might call it a special or secret sauce that they slap on the buns, but really it’s Thousand Island Dressing. We all know that. And grilled onions – who can resist grilled onions? As for the bread – sourdough just grills up so nicely, don’t you think? So take what you like, make it your own, and enjoy Junk Food Day Diner Style.

Sunday, Monday – Happy Days!

Diner-Style Sourdough Bacon Burgers
1 lb lean Ground Beef
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste
1 large Yellow Onion
1/2 tablespoon Baking Drippings or Oil
6 slices Bacon
6 tablespoons Thousand Island Dressing
3 slices Sharp Cheddar Cheese
2 tablespoons Butter
6 slices Sourdough Bread
1/2 cup shredded Lettuce
2 firm Roma Tomatoes
Dill Hamburger Pickle Chips as desired

Form ground beef into 3 third-pound oblong patties, just slightly larger than the sourdough bread slices. Season patties with salt and pepper, set aside until ready to cook.

Peel and dice the onion. Place in a skillet with just a little oil; cook until tender and just beginning to caramelize. Divide onions into 3 sections. Sprinkle onions over each formed patty. Press down into the meat slightly to help hold the onions in place. If necessary, reshape the patties.

While the onions are grilling, fry up the bacon strips on a flat griddle until crisp. Set bacon aside on paper towels to drain. Wipe down the griddle, leaving a small amount of bacon drippings to add flavor to the burgers as they cook. Place formed patties, onion side down, on the griddle. Press down to help encase the onions into the burgers. Grill burgers over medium heat until cooked to your liking, about 5 minutes per side.

Cut bacon strips in half, drape over the burgers. Top with cheese. Transfer to a baking sheet, tent loosely (so as to NOT touch the sliced cheese) and hold in a warm oven until ready to serve.

Shred lettuce, set aside. Slice tomatoes, set aside. Drain pickle chips, set aside until ready to assemble burgers.

Butter sourdough bread, place on the griddle buttered side down. Spread Thousand Island Dressing on each slice of bread. Scatter lettuce, sliced tomatoes and pickle chips on top of three slices of bread. Top those slices with the burgers. Top the burgers with the remaining toasted bread slices

Serve and enjoy. If desired, cut burgers om half and serve with fries or favorite side.

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I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.