Garlic Potato Chip Stacked Bacon Burger

If you have a mandoline (highly recommend if you do not have one), use it, and set it to about 1/4 inch thick. If you do not have one, don’t worry. This will give you an opportunity to work with your knife skills. The point is to slice the potato lengthwise. So use a very long knife, a knife longer than your potato, cutting into it about 1/4 inch thick. Keep the skin on. I’m a big believer in skin on. Add all of your slices to a large bowl, and cover with cold water as you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

As the potato slices soak, cook your bacon in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat.

Add the garlic to a skillet and add in the oil. Cook on medium to low heat, being gentle to not burn the garlic. Your goal is to extract the great garlic flavor into the oil. After about 10 minutes, remove the garlic cloves and discard them (reserve the oil), and turn off the heat.

Your bacon should be finishing up now, so once it is cooked to your desired crispness, remove it to a paper lined plate to drain off any oil. Turn the heat off of the bacon skillet as well, but reserve the bacon fat. Yes, we are going to cook the burgers in the fat.

Caramelize your onions if you are using them. Cook them in another skillet over medium heat until they are nicely golden.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Drain the water from the potatoes and lay them on a large towel. Cover with another towel and gently pat them to dry. Next, add a wire rack onto a large cookie sheet. If you do not have a wire wrack, don’t worry. Use parchment paper instead. Brush the garlic oil on both sides of the potato slices, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and place in the oven to cook for about 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, and maybe even 10 minutes into the cooking, take a peak at them. The last thing you want are burned chips. Flip them over, then raise the heat to 400 degrees F, cooking for another 10 minutes or so, and once again, keeping your eye on them. If some are cooking faster than others, remove them from the oven and place on a plate. Continue until all of the chips are done.

Next, make your patties (make them to your desired size – the ingredients list above is for 3 patties). I like to mix a small bowl of salt and pepper together, then generously sprinkle a plate with the mixture. Once my patty is made, I can set it onto the plate, absorbing the salt and pepper. Then I also season the top. I’m always generous when it comes to seasoning the top and bottom as it helps build a nice crust, which I really love.

Bring the bacon fat up to a medium to high heat. Add in your burger patties and cover with a splatter screen if you have one. Cook to your desired doneness (should be at least 5 minutes per side, but will depend on your desired level of done), flipping and cooking on both sides. I prefer a medium on my burgers. Before you reach your desired doneness, add bacon slices, caramelized onions, then top with the cheese. The cheese will begin to melt down, covering the onions and bacon for another added surprise.

Before serving, slice your buns, and add them into the warm oven. To plate, add the cheeseburger to the bottom bun, and stack with a handful of the homemade garlic chips, then top with the top bun.

This burger will grab your attention, and the attention of those around you. It is stacked with perfection. With both hands, grab that burger, give a light squeeze, and wrap your mouth around it. Crunchy and garlicky from the chips, then the really juicy burger along with the smokey sweetness from the bacon and onions, really complete the burger. Super great, and now I am glad my kid opened my eyes to a chip sandwich. Who knew? The big question is, which is better the pretzel burger, the cheese crisp burger, or this bad boy? Hope you enjoy.