Raving, Hot Cuisine: Simple, Indoor Hamburgers

Have you ever craved a good 'ole hamburger, looked outside and remembered that it's the dead of winter? That was us yesterday...

Here is my answer to winter: get out your cast iron skillet and make it work! And it is scrumptious! And quite healthy, too!

Also, my secret burger ingredient is oatmeal! It works so much better than breadcrumbs because it absorbs so much more than bread, it makes your burgers heartier, and it's also healthier!

Ingredients:

1lb. 93/7 ground beef
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/3-1/2 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce (I picked honey BBQ)
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 egg
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. salt

Toppings:
Your favorite cheese, sliced
Fresh spinach leaves--so much crunchier and tastier than other lettuce choices!
Thinly sliced onions
Sliced tomatoes
Ketchup, Mustard, and Mayo!

For the patties, blend all of the ingredients in a bowl. Everything should come together and be quite moist. Next, make your patties as big as you want! The oatmeal takes the beef further. I ended up with 5 patties. If you want yours bigger, by all means load it up, babe! Form the patty shape with your hands, and then wrap each one in plastic wrap, tightly, and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour--even overnight to power up those flavors.

When ready to cook, fire up your cast iron skillet (mine has grill lines in it, which is really ideal) to medium-high heat and let it heat up for a good 3-4 minutes so it's piping hot.

Drizzle a little oil into it. Pop some patties in, and make sure there is some space between them so they don't steam.

There should be a sizzling and popping sound--not a steaming sound. Turn the heat down to medium if the pan ever starts smoking. Let them sizzle away for 3-5 minutes, and then flip them with a spatula. You should have fantastic grill marks on the opposite side.

Lay on your cheese slices immediately so they have a chance to melt. I like mine really thick :)

Once another 3-4 minutes have passed, take the burgers out and let them rest on a plate (I did one with habanero-jack cheese for my man!). Toast your buns in the pan, too!