An Unusual Salad

Sonia here.   I almost always like Pioneer Woman's recipes and this was no exception.  However, the idea is unusual.  It essentially is a cheeseburger deconstructed into a salad.  My husband was a little unsure but he said it was actually good.  My daughter said it was okay but that she just doesn't like salads.  The meal as prepared has about 450 calories per serving.  The homemade croutons from the hamburger buns were a great hit.  Very yummy.

The only things I did differently was to use green onions instead of red, to use one hamburger bun instead of two (we halved the recipe), to use regular dill pickle slices instead of spears, and to add some mayonnaise and pickle juice to the meat for a more "fry sauce" mixture which we like a lot.  (Fry sauce is mainly a Utah thing, but man is it good.  It is a mixture of ketchup, mustard, mayo, and pickle juice - some places make it slightly different so each restaurant has a slightly different flavor, but we sure like it.)  We will be having this again.  Oh, and no other dressing is needed, which is nice.


Cheeseburger Salad

2 pounds Ground Beef
1/3 cup Ketchup
1 teaspoon Yellow Mustard
1 tablespoon Dijon Or Spicy Mustard
2 tablespoons Barbecue Sauce
2 heads Romaine Or Green-Leaf Lettuce, Torn
8 whole Dill Pickle Spears, Cubed
4 whole Roma Tomatoes, Diced
1 cup Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1 whole Red Onion, Sliced
4 whole Hamburger Buns
1 stick Butter

Brown meat in a large skillet, then remove from heat and drain off the fat. Add ketchup, mustards, and barbecue sauce to the meat and stir to combine. Taste and add more of whatever you think it needs. Keep warm.
Cut hamburger buns into 1-inch cubes. Melt 1/4 stick butter in a separate skillet, then add the bread cubes and toss to coat. Toast the croutons in the skillet over low heat for about 10 -12 minutes, adding 1/4 stick of butter every couple of minutes until you've used the whole stick. (This will ensure all the croutons soak up the butter and toast nicely.)
To assemble each salad, pile torn lettuce on a plate. Pile on a good quantity of the meat mixture, then top with plenty of grated cheddar. Add diced tomato, chunks of pickles, and slices of red onion over the top, then sprinkle warm croutons all around the plate.  Serves 6  from http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2012/01/cheeseburger-salad/