Bloody Mary Meatloaf Burger | A TV Dinner-Inspired Burger

Epic Burgers

Hooray for Burger Month! I had so much fun last year dreaming up my Got To Be NC burger.

I think I managed to squeeze 9-10 different NC brands into that burger, and it was absolutely worth it! See that guy?

Nice, right? Homemade pretzel buns and everything!

You know what happens when you make an epic burger for Burger Month, though?

You have to figure out how to outdo yourself the next year. I’m pretty sure I did it, if not in sheer height, certainly in the conceptualization of Said Burger.

Creating The Burger

Here was the thought process, such as it was:

• burgerburgerburgerburgerhmmmmmmMEATLOAFBURGER!
• What goes with meatloaf?
• The TV dinner people know! Let’s look at some of those.
• How to turn the different elements of a TV Dinner into a burger…?

How To Turn a TV Dinner Into a Meatloaf Burger

I looked at the basic components of a TV dinner and then turned each one into a component that seemed like it would work on a burger.

Thankfully, it all came together deliciously in this Bloody Mary Burger!

TV Dinner Components, Burger-ized

• Tater Tots–they’ll just roll off a burger, but if you smash them flat and cook until crisp, Tater Tot Tostones stay right where you put them and add a bit of crunch.
• Green Peas–they’d roll off too, and they’d be kind of weird in the burger itself, so I turned them into the condiment for the burger. Beautiful, bright, spring green sweet green pea “aoili.” I only use quotation marks because I’m not using nearly as much olive oil as a true aoili would have. Plus there’s no egg yolk in it. Think of it sort of like a green pea hummus.
• Frizzled Shallots–oh, okay, shallots are probably a stretch for a TV dinner, but if you think of them as homemade Funyuns, then it sort of makes sense.
• Bacon–because bacon. Duh. Plus lots of folks put bacon on/in meatloaf.
• Bloody Mary Mix–because I’ve worked with Bruce Julian before, and their Bloody Mary mix is the absolute best. So I wanted to shove it into my burger. As far as the meatloaf burger is concerned, it’s sort of like Fancy Ketchup Glaze. Use your favorite, but know that your mix is salty to begin with, it will be Super Salty by the time you reduce it. Bruce Julian’s is lower in salt so is perfect when reduced.
• Mashed potatoes–because sometimes mashed potatoes come on a TV dinner tray. You’ll find them in the homemade soft sandwich rolls I used for burger buns

And don’t forget the brownie for dessert!

I want to thank all the brands who are sponsoring the Burger Month Giveaway. We truly appreciate your generosity! American Lamb Board, Anolon. Beef, It’s What’s For Dinner, Char-Broil,Curly’s BBQ, Cuttingboard.com, Melissa’s Produce, Primal Stone, Spiceologist , Thermoworks, & Veal Made Easy 

To find all the over-the-top burgers all our blogging friends have created for #BurgerMonth, visit Kita’s Burger Month Page. Be prepared to be wowed and inspired!

And now, here is the burger I hope you have been waiting for. My very own Bloody Mary Meatloaf Burger. I hope you enjoy it as much as our Burger Month dinner party guests did!

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Bloody Mary Meatloaf Burger

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Jennifer Field

This epic burger for Burger Month starts with a meatloaf burger with Bloody Mary mix both in the mix and as the glaze. From there, we build our TV dinner-inspired burger with sweet green pea aoili, Tater Tot "Tostones," bacon, American cheese, and frizzled shallot. And don't forget to serve a brownie for dessert! 

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Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 8 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 8 minutes mins

Course Burger Recipes

Cuisine American

Servings 8 epic burgers

Calories 1145 kcal

Equipment

• Metal Spatula/Turner
• Lodge 10″ Cast Iron Skillet

Ingredients

For the Bloody Mary Glaze

• 2 cups Bruce Julian Bloody Mary Mix my favorite

For the Meatloaf Burgers

• 1 slice white bread
• ¼ cup whole milk
• 1 large egg
• 2 pounds ground beef and pork mix (50/50 or preferred. You can also use all ground beef if you like)
• ½ cup Bloody Mary Glaze from above
• 1-1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
• 1- 1 ½ teaspoons your favorite seasoned salt
• 1/2-1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 Tablespoon Bloody Mary Glaze per burger

For the Green Pea Aoili

• 2 cups frozen peas
• water to barely cover
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 ½ Tablespoons unsalted butter
• ½ teaspoon lemon pepper
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/3-1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

For the Frizzled Shallots

• 4 shallots
• 2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon your favorite seasoned salt or plain salt
• vegetable oil enough to fill a skillet by about 1/2″

For the Tater Tots Tostones

• 32 Tater Tots (plus more for munching)

To Assemble and Serve

• 8 potato rolls homemade or storebought, toasted
• 16 slices thick cut bacon cooked until crisp
• 8 slices American cheese

Instructions

 

For the Bloody Mary Glaze

• Pour the Bloody Mary mix into a heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil until reduced to 1 cup. 
• Cool to room temperature and refrigerate until ready to use. (May be made 2 days ahead)

For the Meatloaf Burgers

• Break up the white bread a bit and put it in a bowl.
• Pour the milk on top and let soak until soft.
• Crack the egg into the bowl and whisk to combine the egg and soggy bread. You can leave the crusts on the bread, but just make sure everything is whisked together into sort of a paste. You don’t want any big bread chunks.
• Place the beef/pork mixture in a large bowl. Pour over the bread/egg mixture, the 1/2 cup of Bloody Mary glaze, salt, seasoned salt, and pepper.
• Mix fairly gently but thoroughly until all ingredients are evenly combined.
• Cook about 1 Tablespoon of the mix in a hot skillet. Taste and adjust seasonings in the rest of the mix as necessary.
• Shape the remaining mix into 8 patties of equal size. Make a deep indentation in the center of each burger, about the size of a quarter. This will help keep the burgers fairly flat as they cook.
• Cook in a hot cast iron skillet, on the grill or in a grill pan for about 4 minutes a side. Spread 1 Tablespoon of glaze evenly on each patty once you’ve flipped it. Once the burgers have had an additional 3 minutes or so on the second side, put them under the broiler for 2 minutes to set the glaze.

For the Green Pea Aoili

• Barely cover the peas with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 4 minutes or so until peas are just tender but still bright green.
• Drain the peas and run cold water over them to keep them from continuing to cook.
• Place the peas, salt, butter, lemon pepper, garlic powder and lemon juice in your blender jar and blend on medium speed to puree.
• Drizzle the olive oil into the peas in a steady stream, and then turn the blender up to high and blend until completely smooth. Taste, and adjust seasonings to your liking. (May be made 2 days ahead. You’ll have more than you need for the burgers–this stuff makes a great sandwich spread, or you could even eat it as a hummus-like dip with vegetables or chips)

For the Frizzled Shallots

• Peel and slice the shallots, cross-wise, as thinly as you can. Separate them into individual rings. 
• Soak in ice water for 5 minutes, drain and pat dry.
• In a large ziptop bag, combine the flour and seasoned salt. Shake to combine evenly.
• Toss the dried shallot rings with the seasoned flour. 
• Heat the vegetable in the pan until a bit of flour will sizzle almost immediately. When the oil is hot, add the shallots, shaking off excess flour.
• Fry, stirring occasionally, until light golden brown.
• Immediately remove from the oil and drain on paper towels. Shallots will continue to cook once they’re on the paper towel, so take them out of the oil when they are a bit shy of golden brown. Cool. They can sit, covered, at room temperature for a day.

For the Tater Tots Tostones

• Place the Tots on a lined baking sheet and bake at 425F for 25 minutes. Remove them from the oven and put them on a large cutting board or other smooth, clean work surface
• Using the bottom of a glass or a measuring cup, press each tot so it’s flat and about as big around as a silver dollar.
• Place the smashed tots back on the baking tray and bake 10 additional minutes, 15 if you want them super crisp.
• Flip the tots over and bake for 5-10 more minutes, until fairly crispy.

To Assemble and Serve

• Spread both halves of each bun with about 1-1 1/2 Tablespoons of green pea aoili.
• Top the bottom aoili-ed bun with two pieces of bacon, broken to fit. I don’t like it when pieces hang out of a burger. If you don’t mind, leave them whole.
• Top the bacon with a slice of American cheese. Put in the toaster oven or under the broiler for 2-3 minutes to get the cheese a bit melty-but-not-drippy.
• Top the cheese with a Bloody Mary meatloaf burger patty. Add 4 Tater Tots Tostones on top of the burger followed by a tablespoon or so of the frizzled shallots. Top with the top bun and press down lightly.

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Notes

You can make the burger patties ahead by a day as well as the aioli. The frizzled shallots and smashed Tater Tots are best made right before assembling and serving so they stay crispy.

Feel free to make the bloody Mary reduction up to 3 days in advance

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 1145kcalCarbohydrates: 58gProtein: 60gFat: 70gSaturated Fat: 20gPolyunsaturated Fat: 42gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 195mgSodium: 2270mgFiber: 6gSugar: 17g

Keyword bloody mary burger, meatloaf burger

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