Bento Balls Aka French Hamburgers Food

BENTO BALLS (AKA FRENCH HAMBURGERS)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a baking sheet by lining with parchment or foil.
• Lightly coat the parchment or foil with cooking spray.
• Mix the bread crumbs, havarti, horseradish, dried onion, salt (or spice-salt mix), cottage cheese, and egg together in a large bowl. (Please note that the horseradish should be prepared, i.e., the creamy kind that is mixed with mayonnaise. We use the Beaver brand.).
• Allow to stand for 5 minutes to soften the bread crumbs.
• Mix in the ground turkey.
• The meat mixture will be very soft.
• Form the meat into balls that will fit into your bento box(or on your plate).
• Flatten slightly so that the meat is formed into shapes resembling patties.
• Place in the oven to bake for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the basting sauce by combining the melted butter, ketchup, and soy sauce.
• Carefully turn the patties over and put them back in the oven until 20 minutes before the meat is cooked through.
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• The time to finish cooking will depend on how large you made your patties.
• I use a meat thermometer to check for doneness.
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• Approximately 20 minutes before the meat cooks through, baste one side of the meat with the sauce, returning to the oven for 10 minutes.
• Turn and baste the other side and return to the oven for the remaining 10 minutes.
• Let cool, add to your bento box, and have a great day hiking.

FRENCH DIP BURGER

Steps:

• Over medium-high heat, heat large nonstick skillet or fire up grill.
• Trim thin slice off top and bottom of ciabatta bun to create flat surface. Then slice each bun in half horizontally. Lightly spread mayonnaise on outside of ciabatta bun, to enhance browning. Place bun, mayonnaise-side down, on grill or in pan. Top each bun with cheese slice to toast bun and melt cheese.
• Season burger with seasoning salt. Grill, broil or pan-fry burger until internal temperature reaches 160°F.
• Top burger with caramelized onions. Place burger on one toasted bun, then top with remaining bun. Cut in half and serve with beef broth for dipping.

FRENCH ONION BURGERS

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine the onions, Worcestershire sauce, salt and mushrooms if using. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 4 patties.
• Grill, uncovered, over medium heat or broil 4 inches from the heat for 6-9 minutes on each side or until no longer pink. Serve on buns with any condiments and toppings of your choice.