Growing up in the mid-west, we had an intriguing assortment of food. In the summers, we would often stop at Herald’s Dairy Delight on the way to our cottage. I ordered the same thing EVERY time. It was a pizza burger. I got to thinking about this pizza burger recently and decided to try to make it. It is a thin beef patty topped with mozzarella, battered and fried. Then it is transformed into a sandwich and topped with marinara sauce. It truly was perfection (at least in my mind’s eye). I’m not sure if Harold’s Dairy Delight or any other place back home still make these, but I certainly haven’t seen them on a menu in Virginia.
Step one: cook a hamburger patty. Word of precaution; make it as thin as you can. My patties were too thick, and that makes eating them more complicated, and they are less authentic.
Step two: melt some mozzarella cheese on top of the patty and chill the cheesy patties in the freezer for a bit.
Step three: dredge. To create the beautiful deep-fried crust, dip them in flour, egg, and breadcrumbs. If you don’t have a full coating, repeat the process. You NEED to seal all of the cheese inside. Pop them back in the freezer until the oil is to temperature.
Step four: when the oil reaches 350F, put a couple of patties at a time into the fryer (or pan with oil). Cook until golden brown on each side.
Final thoughts. Making homemade Pizza Burgers was a bit of a complicated process, but I am glad that I made an effort to recreate my childhood classic.
