Did you know that there are whole cookbooks dedicated to miniature food? Somehow, shrinking everything down to bite-sized proportions makes even ordinary recipes new and irresistible. Here’s a case in point: take an ordinary hamburger, shrink it down to a fraction of its normal size, and stick it on a toothpick. Voila! Instantly special!
The miniature format also avoids any worrying about a bun or bun substitute, since the toothpick does all that work of holding everything together without any wrapper at all. These would be fun for a party or as an alternative to wings for watching a game. And it goes without saying that kids would love them even more than grown-ups; if you’re throwing any birthday parties and want something healthy but fun, this would be good option.
The toppings here are really more of a suggestion than a hard-and-fast rule; go crazy if you want to and put together all kinds of mini burgers. What about a Hawaiian version with pineapple and ham instead of a tomato and bacon? Or feta and arugula, if you can tolerate dairy? Have fun with it and see what you come up with!
Mini Hamburger Bites Recipe
MAKES: 20
PREP: 15 min.
COOK: 10 min.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs. ground beef;
- 4 bacon slices, cooked;
- 10 cherry tomatoes, halved;
- 1 cup lettuce, chopped;
- 4 pickles, sliced into 5 pieces each to make 20 discs;
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper;
Preparation
- Preheat a grill or griddle to medium-high.
- Form 20 mini patties with the ground beef, and season each patty with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Place the patties on a grill or griddle. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side and set aside.
- To assemble the burger bites, top each patty with a piece of bacon, lettuce, pickle, and tomato.
- Secure each patty with a toothpick, and serve with your favorite condiments.