The horseshoe sandwich
Ingredients:
Quick cheese sauce- 100 grams water (scant 1/2 cup)
- 3 grams sodium citrate (1/2 teaspoon - if you do not have this see recipe notes below)
- 100 grams cheddar or Colby Jack cheese, shredded, cubed or sliced (3.5 ounces - or about 6 slices of cheese)
- 15 grams Worcestershire sauce (2 teaspoons - optional)
Burger patty and horseshoe assembly
- 1 large handful of frozen french fries
- 2 thick slices of bread (Texas toast-style)
- 4 to 6 ounces ground beef, formed in a patty
- salt and ground black pepper
- cheese sauce (from above)
- paprika and/or parsley (optional garnish)
Directions:
Cheese sauce: get your ingredients for the cheese sauce ready but we're not going to start with that yet.
Preheat oven: look at the package instructions for your french fries and preheat the oven.
After the oven is preheated, add a large handful of frozen fries to an oven-safe pan and bake per package instructions.
When 10 to 12 minutes remain on the french fry cooking time, add 2 bread slices to the oven directly on the oven rack and allow the toast to cook until the fries are done.
Cheese sauce: add the water to a medium-sized pot and bring to a simmer. Add sodium citrate and stir to combine.
Slowly add all of the cheese, a little bit at a time, stopping to stir the cheese into the sauce between each portion of cheese. Once all the cheese is added stir very well while the cheese is still simmering to make sure it is very smooth. This might take 2 or 3 minutes and a silicone spatula or whisk is helpful here.
Once the cheese mixture is very smooth, add the Worcestershire sauce (if using) and stir to incorporate. Place the burner on low until it's time to use the cheese sauce.
This sauce should be thin when it's in the pot, but as it cools just a few minutes it will start to thicken quite a bit but should still stay saucy after being removed from the heat for 20 minutes or so.
Burger patty: when there are 8 to 10 minutes left to the french fry cooking time, add a medium skillet over medium-high heat and allow it to preheat.
Form the ground beef into a large circle or oval, salt, and pepper on both sides, and add it to the hot pan. Cook the patty for 3 to 4 minutes per side.
Horseshoe sandwich assembly: add two slices of toast to a large plate or bowl.
Top the toast with the cooked hamburger patty and then add all the fries on top of the meat.
Remove the still-simmering cheese sauce from the stove and pour as much of the sauce on top of the fries as you desire.
Garnish the top of the horseshoe with a sprinkle of paprika and some chopped parsley for color. Serve and enjoy.
Notes:
Sodium citrate is not going to be something you can find at the grocery store. Here is the brand of Sodium Citrate that I use from Amazon.
If you do not have sodium citrate, you can still create a cheese sauce like this beer cheese sauce recipe I have shared in the past. This isn't a quick cheese sauce so you should probably start it before starting the french fry process.