Oh-so Vegetarian Juicy Lucy

Some of you who follow us on Twitter may already know what's up. For the rest of you: We created yet another mammoth, jaw-busting beast this weekend . . . a Juicy Lucy sandwich that might just put THE LOVER to shame. What exactly is a Juicy Lucy? Well, we first learned about it on one of our all-time favorite shows, Man versus Food.

In short, it's a gigantic stacked burger with cheese baked into the meat (in our case, tofu) patties.



A more detailed explanation follows (from Wikipedia): Originated in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the Jucy Lucy (or Juicy Lucy) is a cheeseburger having the cheese inside the meat patty rather than on top. A piece of cheese is surrounded by raw meat and cooked until it melts, resulting in a molten core of cheese within the patty. This scalding hot cheese tends to gush out at the first bite, so servers frequently warn patrons to let the sandwich cool for a few minutes before consumption.

Exhibit A:

Vegetarian Juicy Lucy from (never home)maker on Vimeo.

Intense, right? Our version, as you may have learned above, is layered with tons of great stuff. Starting with a hefty sourdough roll, a bed of sweet potato fries, the meat of the whole thing -- two tofu burger patties with melted cheese in the middle, then a generous serving of mashed avocado, some grainy mustard (with whiskey!), and the top of the sourdough roll.



To make the tofu burgers (which would also be great on a "regular" sandwich), you'll need . . .

• 1 package extra-firm tofu
• 1 small (or enough to make up 1 small) potato -- we used purple fingerlings, kept the skins on
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• Pepper to taste
• 2 squares of cheese -- your choice -- the place in the center of patties

Method . . .

1. Blend the tofu and potatoes together in a food processor and blender until well combined. It may be easier to first chop up the potatoes so they blend more easily (we used fingerling ones, so it wasn't an issue).
2. Transfer the mix to a large bowl with the remaining ingredients. Mix well.
3. Form into 4 large patties (or however many depending on what you plan to do with the mix). Put on a sheet covered with wax paper so it doesn't stick.
4. Put the cheese on one patty . . . and then cover with another patty and press the edges together to encase the cheese inside. Repeat with the other two.
5. In a frying pan (greased with olive oil) over medium-high heat, fry the burgers until golden brown. We also covered ours at points so we'd be sure the cheese would melt.

ASSEMBLE THE SANDWICH

You'll need . . .

• Two buns (or we used mini sourdough rounds)
• 1 large avocado
• Grainy mustard
• Sweet potato fries
• Sliced cheese (Stephen used Swiss and I used some hot sauce specialty kind. Whatever you love will work.) 

Pile everything -- high. Enjoy! And be sure to check out the details about our Something for Nothing Giveaway of Martha Stewart's Cooking School cookbook -- to celebrate 500 (and now 574) followers :)



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