Preparation Time: approximately 15 minutes

Cooking Time: approximately 20-25 minutes

Serving Size: 1 burger, Serves 4

2 Slices on The Slice Plan

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef, 80% lean

1 TB Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp kosher salt

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp black pepper

1 TB ketchup or BBQ sauce

2 cups cherries, halved, pitted

2 TB balsamic vinegar

1 tsp brown sugar

¼ cup gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

1 cup arugula, spinach, or kale leaves

8 slices bacon, cooked (optional)*

4 pretzel rolls

*shown in picture

Directions

Mix together beef, Worcestershire, ketchup/BBQ, salt, garlic, pepper. Combine well using hands. Separate into 4 equal sized portions and form each portion into a burger. Make sure to pack the beef together tightly!**

Meanwhile, combine cherries, balsamic, and sugar in small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Continue cooking until cherries are soft and liquid has reduced to a thick glaze.

Heat grill pan, cast iron skillet, outdoor grill, or nonstick sauté pan over medium heat. Spray with grill/pan spray. Plan burgers on pan and sear 10 minutes on each side, or until internal temperature reaches at least 145 degrees. (You may wish to cook your burger more or less depending on desired doneness, but remember that consuming undercooked beef could result in foodborne illness.)

**You may substitute beef here for ground turkey or chicken, or use a veggie burger altogether!

Turn-out & Storage

Serve burger on top of pretzel roll over ¼ of greens. Top with bacon (optional), gorgonzola, and cherries. Served here with loaded baked potato salad, but you may also choose fresh strawberries, melon, redskin baked potato, or your favorite green salad!

These burgers can be stored for up to 3 days under refrigeration.