Sliders

Several months ago, America's Test Kitchen did an episode on how to make perfect old fashioned burgers, without having to get out the outdoor grill. Well, in typical ATK fashion, it had a bazillion ingredients and many steps that created lots of dirty dishes.
So, this past weekend, the kids and I were home alone and I decided to make them, but with just a couple ingredients....I also made them "kid sized" which they LOVED!
Each of my kids at two of these for dinner when made them. They were do delicious!

So, here goes, SLIDERS!

1 pound good quality 85-90% lean ground beef
Kosher Sale and fresh ground pepper
1 tbsp unsalted butter
6 Pepperidge Farms "Slider" sized buns (I used whole wheat)
3 slices deluxe American Cheese
thin sliced onion

On a large baking sheet, crumble the ground beef into small, loose pieces. Sprinkle with kosher salt and ground pepper. Using your fingers, gently divide the meat into 6 equal mounds. Then, using your fingers, shape into a loose patty about 1/2 thick and about 2.5-3 inches in diameter. (dont' pick it up and mash it into a compact burger shape).
The edges should be ragged looking.
Either put the sheet pan in the freezer (or in a Minnesota winter, put the sheet pan outside). My burgers were outside for about 15-20 minutes.

In a large cast iron skillet, melt 1/2 tbsp of butter over medium heat until it is foaming. Add the bun tops, cut side down and toast until lightly golden brown (about 2 minutes). Repeat with remaining butter and toast the bun bottoms. Set aside.

Heat skillet on high heat and add 1/2 tsp of vegetable oil (I brushed it around the pan with a silicone brush, to coat the pan) until it is smoking. Using a spatula, transfer 3 burgers to the skillet, let them cook for 3 minutes without moving them. Flip the burgers and cook for 1 more minute. Top each patty with a 1/2 of a slice of cheese and continue to cook until cheese is melted, about 1 minute. Repeat with the 3 remaining burgers.
Transfer burgers to the bun bottoms, top with either raw or fried onions. (to fry them, I just threw the onion into the pan right after the first round of burgers were done cooking and fried them until they were soft and just turning golden brown, about 3 minutes.)
Cover with bun tops and serve.

**will post photo shortly**