Helluva Burger

South Mountain Creamery, where we subscribe for weekly dairy deliveries, also sells meat products from its own grass-fed cattle. We couldn't resist putting burgers on the menu for the 4th of July, especially my wife's special stuffed burgers.

The stuffing starts with creamed cheese--just the thing to add a little unctuousness to that lean, grass-fed beef, right? Season the creamed cheese with freshly minced garlic, chopped fresh thyme, salt and black pepper. For assembly, lay down a layer of ground beef on some waxed paper, add a big dollop of the cheese mix, then cover with more ground beef, pressing the patty together around the edges.

The burgers can even be made the day ahead and sealed in plastic wrap. Just remove from the fridge a couple of hours before cooking to bring the meat up to room temperature (or not, if you like your burgers especially rare).

We grilled the burgers over mesquite charcoal and served them with our famous sweet potato salad with toasted pecans and orange-maple vinaigrette, as well as a pot of Swiss chard from the garden braised with red onion and pomegranate molasses.

Needless to say, the burgers didn't last long....