Stop by any area IHOP next Tuesday to raise a free short stack of buttermilk pancakes. They’re being given away to raise awareness and funds for the Children’s Miracle Network. Of course, donations will be accepted, with a goal of raising $1.75 million this year. In the past five years, IHOP has donated $5 million. Donations made at IHOPs in the Chattanooga area will benefit the Children’s Miracle Network program at T.C. Thompson Children’s Hospital.
Do you know someone who loves to cook Irish food? Reader G. Smith e-mailed saying he had a hankering for authentic shepherd’s pie but didn’t want to have to travel to the Emerald Isle to get it. Plus, he’d love to know how to make it. And I’d like to feature a good Irish cook, so shoot me an e-mail to abraly@timesfreepress.com or give me a call at 757-6285.
When I was growing up, my parents, sister and I would often visit the home of Ruth and El Schmidt. “Uncle” El, as I knew him, was a teacher alongside my dad at McCallie. “Aunt” Ruth was a teacher at Girls Preparatory School. We’d often go to their house for dinner and have so much fun. We’d play charades, watch TV, goof off with their kids and eat dinner. One of our favorite meals came to be known as Schmidt burgers.
I now realize they were probably one of the most unhealthy entrees of my childhood, but we didn’t think about things like that too much back then. All I know is, we loved them.
Aunt Ruth would combine hamburger with finely chopped onion and some other ingredients, put them on a hamburger bun — just the bottom half, no top — and bake them. As they cooked, the grease and onion flavor would seep down into the bread, and the edges of the bread would crisp up. We just couldn’t get enough of those things. As addictive as a Krystal.
Fast-forward 40-plus years, and they’ve come back to me in a new way. I was thumbing through the March issue of Cook’s Country and came to an abrupt stop when I saw the picture of Long Boy Cheeseburgers. Could it be, I wondered, that expert cooks had reinvented the Schmidt burger? Seems they have. It’s still not really a healthful dish. But the reinvention has them baking on a sub roll and topped with cheese, making it, the magazine says, a meatloaf/cheeseburger hybrid that’s ideal for a midweek meal. Here’s the recipe.
Long Boy Cheeseburgers
Be sure to spread the meat to the edges of the rolls, or the bread will burn.
2 (6-inch) sub rolls
1 1/4 cups cornflakes, crushed
1/2 small onion, minced
1/3 cup whole or low-fat milk
6 tablespoons ketchup, divided
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 pounds (90 percent lean) ground beef
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Toast rolls: Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 450 F. Bake rolls, cut side up, on wire rack set inside rimmed baking sheet until golden and crisp, about 5 minutes.
Make meat mixture: Combine cornflakes, onion, milk, 4 tablespoons ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, garlic powder, egg, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper in large bowl. Add meat and knead gently until well combined.
Bake burgers: Top toasted rolls evenly with meat mixture. Be sure to spread the meat to the edges so the bread won’t burn. Brush top of meat mixture evenly with remaining ketchup and bake until meat registers 160 F, 20-25 minutes. Top burgers with cheese and continue to bake until cheese melts, 3-4 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes, then serve.