If you ever travel to the south, namely Georgia and the Carolinas, you’re likely to come across pimento and cheese on just about any given menu. This is not to be mistaken for the store-bought pimento cheese that you might find in the refrigerator section, this is the real deal. When I created this burger I had been reminiscing about my trip to Savannah, Georgia. It was the end of October and unseasonably hot, but that didn’t stop us from finding great food all within walking distance of our Victorian rental. I feel this burger pays homage to such a wonderfully memorable place.
For the burger:
4 large hamburger buns
1 pound 80/20 ground beef
salt and pepper
1/4 c real mayonnaise
8 slices thick cut maple bacon
4 large eggs (optional)
For the pimento Cheese:
2.5 c shredded cheddar cheese
1 c real mayonnaise
2 tbs pimento, drained and diced
salt and pepper to taste
For the Fried Green Tomatoes:
2 large firm green tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c all purpose flour
1 lg egg, lightly whisked
1 c all Purpose flour
1/4 c plain breadcrumbs
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Patty out 4 equal sized burger patties. Sprinkle each lightly with salt and pepper. Cover and allow to rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour. While your beef is setting up (firming up) in the fridge, make your pimento cheese. In a bowl, combine cheese, mayo, salt and pepper. Mix well. Fold in pimentos until everything is well combine. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. To prepare your fried green tomatoes, preheat your deep fryer to 338 degrees. Slice each tomato about 3/4 inch thick. Season your tomatoes with salt and pepper and dredge in flour, egg wash and breadcrumb-flour mixture in that order. Fry about 3 tomatoes at a time for 1 minute on each side or until golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack. Go ahead and cook your bacon in a nonstick pan over medium high heat. Once your bacon reaches desired doneness, transfer to paper towels. Reserve the grease if you plan on adding fried eggs to your burgers. Crack 2 eggs into the bacon grease, making sure to be extra careful not to burn yourself. Allow your eggs to cook until the whites are almost completely cooked. Using a spatula, carefully flip your eggs. Cook until white are no longer jiggling and the yolk is done to your liking. Transfer to paper towels and repeat process with remaining 2 eggs.
Time to get your burgers ready. Start by heating a flattop or skillet to medium-high heat. Spray the cut sides of your buns with nonstick cooking spray and brown. Set aside. Using the same pan, add your burgers. Cook on both sides until you reach desired doneness. To assemble your burgers, smear mayonnaise on all 4 bottom buns. Top with patty, 2-3 slices of fried green tomatoes and 1 egg each. Smear the top buns with the pimento cheese and you’re done.
Girl-Chef Tastes 