Bacon—what’s not to like? It’s smoky flavored salt and fat! Yum-o! In fact, the only way to improve on bacon is to wrap it up with beef and top it with cheese, then open wide! You gotta be more hungry than tired for this one!

　　

Ingredients

4 servings

　　6 smoky bacon slices, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

　　6 tablespoons EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil) plus more for drizzling

　　2 yellow onions, 1/4 finely chopped, 1 3/4 thinly sliced

　　1 1/2 pounds ground sirloin

　　2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, eyeball it

　　1 teaspoon hot sauce, eyeball it

　　1 heaping tablespoon grill seasoning, such as McCormick’s Montreal Steak Seasoning (a rounded palmful)

　　4 crusty Kaiser rolls, poppy seed or plain, split

　　4 slices smoked Gouda

　　1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon steak sauce, such as A-1 or Lea and Perrins

　　1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

　　1 sack washed baby spinach leaves

　　Salt and black pepper

　　

Step 1

Preheat the broiler and place a medium nonstick skillet over medium high heat.

　　

Step 2

Add the bacon and a drizzle of EVOO to the hot skillet and cook until crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel–lined plate and drain off all but 1 tablespoon or so of the fat from the skillet. Return the pan to medium low heat and add the finely chopped onions to sweat out in the remaining fat, 2 to 3 minutes.

　　

Step 3

Preheat a second medium nonstick skillet with 2 tablespoons of the EVOO 2 times around the pan, over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add all the thinly sliced onions and top them with a plate that can fit inside the skillet. Top the plate with a heavy can and smother the onions for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Lift the plate with tongs; it’ll be hot!

　　

Step 4

Place the beef in a bowl and top with the Worcestershire, hot sauce, and grill seasoning.

　　

Step 5

Remove the chopped onions to the plate with the bacon to cool. Turn off the heat and reserve the pan. Once the onions are cool, add them and the bacon to the ground sirloin and combine well. Score the meat into 4 even sections and form 4 large patties. Add 1 tablespoon of EVOO to the skillet and reheat it over medium high heat. Add the burgers and cook for 4 minutes on each side for medium rare, minutes on each side for medium well.

　　

Step 6

Toast the split rolls under the hot broiler until golden. Place the burgers on the bun bottoms and top with the smoked Gouda. Remove the bun tops from the broiler pan. Return the burgers to the broiler just to melt the cheese, about 30 seconds.

　　

Step 7

Stir 1/4 cup of the steak sauce into the smothered onions. Top the burgers with the onions and set the bun tops in place.

　　

Step 8

Place the remaining tablespoon of steak sauce in a small salad bowl. Add about 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and whisk in about 3 tablespoons of EVOO. Toss with the spinach, season with salt and pepper, and serve alongside the burgers.

　　Rachael Ray Express Lane Meals