Savvy Entertaining

Anyone watching calories or on a strict diet will want to just skip today’s post entirely. For the rest of you, enjoy!

Way back when I was growing up, on the rare occasions we went into the big town, not just our little hometown, sometimes my Dad would take us through a drive-in for the best hamburgers on the planet. They didn’t serve fries there. No, sir. They had deep-fried tater tots that were cooked to crispy perfection and salted within an inch of their life. Their milkshakes were thick and creamy and delicious. But the thing you had to go there for was the hamoneer. It was a hamburger with some thick slices of deliciously wicked bacon that were beyond description.

I didn’t care back then what was in the hamburger, all I knew was that it tasted great and I was lucky enough to have one to enjoy.

When the drive-in went out of business, I may have even cried a few tears. No more hamoneer burgers – ever. It is a loss I have suffered from acutely over the years.

Then one day, I found cottage bacon at the grocery store and  decided to give it a try. Hello, hamoneer!  This bacon tastes just like the kind the drive-in used to put on the burgers.  So Hubby and I recreated the hamoneer and boy, was it good! For those of you who have not yet been introduced to cottage bacon, it is bacon made from the shoulder of a pig, resulting in lean pork meat that tastes like a fantastic combination of ham and bacon.

Just make your burger as usual, add cheese, top with the bacon and enjoy. If you want a real hamoneer experience, make sure you add a special sauce (mix ketchup and mayo in equal amounts) to the bun.

Yum!

Start with some cottage bacon, a delicious blend of ham and smoky bacon, there isn't anything quite like it

Assemble your burger as desired with whatever condiments strike your fancy. For an authentic Hamoneer experience, mix up a special sauce using equal parts ketchup and mayo and spread all over the bun.