Nostalgia burgers

By Kady Guyton
June 7, 2009

In Salina, KS there is a restaurant approximately the size of a Volkswagen van called The Cozy Inn. Open since 1922, The Cozy - as the locals called it - makes one thing and one thing only: very small hamburgers, aka sliders. The average order is about six burgers.

The burgers are served up with pickle, ketchup and mustard. Cheese is only allowed if you get your order to go and add it in the privacy of your own home. What made the Cozy burger truly special was the onions. All the meat was mixed with finely chopped, sweet Vidalia onions. When the wind was right, all of downtown Salina would smell like an onion field in Georgia.

Sometimes I get a hankering for these burgers. Summertime is also burger time and there is no better excuse to grab some onions and try to re-create a little bite of heaven.

When working with little burger patties, something is extra is needed to hold the meat together. This is where eggs do their magic. Eggs in ground meat act as a binder, allowing the cook to form thinner burgers without worrying that they will fall apart the first time they're flipped. Nothing wrong with loose meat sandwiches, but that's not the goal here.

The onions are key. Regular white onions will work fine, but to me sweet onions are a gift from the heavens and should be enjoyed with as much reverence as possible. This is one of those times.

Pan frying the burgers is classic, but the taste of an open flame is hard to pass up. One advantage of patties this small is that they cook incredibly quickly, making them great for a barbeque party. A disadvantage is that they can sometimes slip between the grill bars. A metal cooling rack oiled and laid crosswise over the grill can solve that problem.

The buns are also an important consideration. Mini burgers are too small for regular buns - unless you put two or three of them together. Sandwich bread will soak up the condiments, making a mess. I recommend purchasing store-bought buns and cutting them down to size with a round cookie cutter. Save the scraps for croutons or bird food.

Enjoy with chips, soda, a crowd and friends and a warm evening.

Sliders
Makes 8 mini burgers

1 lb. ground chuck
4 tablespoons finely diced sweet onion (Vidalia or Maui)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 egg

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix throughly. Form mixture into 3-inch patties. Grill or pan fry. Serve immediately on toasted buns, cut to size.