Sliders and Fresh cut Fries and "The Prestige"

I have to admit, I have a major weakness for a good cheeseburger. Nothing beats a juicy burger with melted cheese hot off the grill or the pan. Add a side of salty french fries, a crispy dill pickle, and I'm in foodie heaven my friends.

In case you don't know, sliders are just mini burgers. They're a great for party's or as a weeknight meal. The small burgers easily accommodate someone with a large or small appetite and kids especially seem to love these mini burgers. The trick to any good burger is not going too extreme with the seasoning and not compacting the meat so much that they look more like a hockey puck than a burger patty.

I typically plan on serving 3 sliders per person. 1 pound of ground beef will make 6 sliders so adjust the amount you'll need on how many you plan on making. I made 12 sliders so there fore I needed about 2lbs of ground beef.

Fore 12 Sliders (serving 4)

12 small slider rolls
2lbs of ground beef
1/2 pound of preferred cheese sliced then
2 tablespoons of very soft butter
Kosher salt and Black Pepper
Desired toppings and condiments

For the Fries

5 large potatoes
Peanut or Vegetable oil
Salt and Pepper

The first step in preparing this meal is getting the potatoes peeled, cut, and washed. Using a sharp knife, or a french fry cutter, slice the potatoes into evenly sized fries and rinse them under cold tap water to rinse off the starch in the potatoes. Soak the fresh cut fries in a large bowl filled with water and then allow them to dry on a clean dish towel or paper towels. Make sure the potatoes are completely dry before dropping them in the oil - water and hot oil don't mix!!!

The trick to perfect fries is frying them twice. The first fry will last about 5 to 6 minutes as we're pretty much cooking the potato all the way through. We then drain the fries and allow them to cool before dropping them back down into the oil for a quick flash fry to give them that nice crispy texture. To help make sure everything gets done around the same time, we'll do the first fry now and the second once the sliders are finished. I'm lucky enough to have a small deep fryer that sits on my counter top but using any pot will work for frying.

You'll want to fill either your deep fryer to the recommended fill line or your pot about 3 to 4 inches full of vegetable or peanut oil. Heat the oil around 350 degrees and submerge the fries in the hot oil in small batches. You don't want to crowd the fries or else they will lower the temperature of the oil and the fries won't cook evenly. Remember, only about 5 to 6 minutes for the first fry and then, using a slotted spoon, tongs, spider, or other kitchen tool, carefully remove the fries and allow them to drain on some paper towels.

To form the sliders, carefully take a small portion of ground beef and very gently form it into the shape of a burger. This is the key here, if you use too much pressure you'll make a dense burger. Apply just enough pressure with your hands to mold the beef so it stays together. Whatever you do just don't start pressing down with your palm or rolling them into little meat balls.

Take about 2 tablespoons of softened butter and spread a little on the top of each burger. Season with kosher salt and fresh black pepper and that's it.

The weather wasn't cooperating with me the other day so I wasn't able to fire up the charcoal grill. Luckily you can still make a delicious burger indoors no matter what mother nature decides to do. Pre-heat a large frying pan, preferably a cast iron, over medium heat.

Once the pan is nice and hot, carefully place the burgers in the pan buttered side down. You should hear and see the burger sizzle the moment it hits the pan. It's important not to crowd the burgers in the pan, no more than 4 or 5 at a time, and don't move them around.

We're searing the burgers here and they need time to get that nice brown crust we are looking for. I know it's tempting but don't flip or slide these little guys around just yet. It will take 3 to 4 minutes on the first side depending on how thick the burgers are. Once you see that the meat is turning brown around the edges it's time to carefully flip.



Now for a little trick I like to use. Take about a tablespoon of water and pour it in the middle of the pan and quickly put a lid on. The steam caused by the water hitting the hot pan will help keep the burgers juicy as well as helping the center of your burgers cook through. If you're like me, I love my burgers just slightly pink and juicy on the inside. Once you've flipped the sliders cook for another 2 to 3 minutes to enjoy a medium cooked burger.

Next, top each burger with a few slices of cheese and put the lid back on - the steam will help melt the cheese to perfection!! Take the sliders out of the pan and place them straight on the bun or you can keep them warm in the oven if you have more to make. Just place the sliders on a baking sheet and place in an oven that has been heated to about 175 degrees - just enough to keep them warm and not cook them any further.

Now that the sliders are ready, it's time to finish the fries - don't worry it'll happen fast. Drop the par cooked fries back down into the hot oil for about 2 to 3 minutes or until you start to see that nice golden brown. Remove the fries one final time from the hot oil and place them on a few paper towels to drain. Give them a generous sprinkle of salt and a little pinch of black pepper and your tiny sliders have met there soul mates. Since I made one of my favorite meals this week, I thought I'd recommend and review one of my favorite movies - "The Prestige"

"The Prestige" follows the story of two magicians set in London near the end of the 19th century. Starring Christian Bale as Alfred Borden and Hugh Jackman as Robert Angier, the two young men are friends working as assistants for a magician's act. Michael Caine also stars as the engineer of the devices used by magicians to fool and entertain an audience. While the two men start off as friends, a horrible tragedy soon divides them and each begin on the path to becoming the top magician in London.

The former friendship has now become a bitter and even dangerous rivalry between them. Each men try to secretly sabotage their acts and often disguise themselves in each others audience to try and learn each others secrets . One night, while Angier sits in Borden's audience disguised as a common spectator, Borden debuts a magic trick that Angier is amazed by and calls it "The greatest magic trick I've ever seen."

Robert then becomes obsessed with his method and will stop at nothing to understand how it's done and how to make an even better act. Angier will soon find his obsession taking over his every thought and lead him on a journey where he will learn things he never expected. "The Prestige" is an absolute gem of a film that writer/director Christopher Nolan wrote based of a novel by the same name. It's a fast based movie that will take hold of you from start to finish and. Once the final curtains close I wouldn't doubt that you'll want to watch it again.

"The Prestige" is one of my very favorite films and easily finds it's way into my top 10 list of favorite movies. I'm posting the trailer below for you to watch...but I must warn you! It's very hard to watch this preview and not instantly want to watch the entire film. Even myself, who's watched this film dozens of times still can't resist wanting to do so. Like any good magic trick, you won't want to take your eyes off of it for a second. As the opening line of the movies asks, "Are you watching closely?"